The E-6B aircraft, pictured on the Offutt tarmac, with the addition of an Airborne Launch Control System took over the Looking Glass U.S. Strategic Command Airborne Command Post mission of the USAF.TACAMO is a U.S. military term meaning "Take Charge and Move Out". TACAMO refers to a system of survivable communications links designed to be used in nuclear war to maintain communications between the decision makers (the National Command Authority) and the triad of strategic nuclear weapon delivery systems. Its primary mission is to receive, verify and retransmit Emergency Action Messages to US strategic forces.
Looking Glass (or Operation Looking Glass) is the code name for an airborne command center currently operated by the U.S. Navy. It provides command and control of U.S. nuclear forces in the event that ground-based command centers are destroyed or rendered inoperable. The Looking Glass was initiated by the U.S. Air Force's Strategic Air Command in 1961.
When TACAMO assumed responsibility for the Looking Glass mission 10 years ago, they took the roll of giving the President and the Secretary of Defense direct command and control capability for America's strategic forces of ballistic nuclear missile submarines, intercontinental nuclear missiles and strategic bombers.
You can read the rest of Jon Burleson's copyrighted article at:
http://thebase68113.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20161755&BRD=2799&PAG=461&dept_id=589862&rfi=6
And we have a large sample of the tactical callsigns that the TACAMO/Looking Glass mission aircraft use in our new book from Teak Publishing -- International Callsign Handbook available now from Teak Publishing and our dealers.
