Security Campus Groundbreaking at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska
BY JEREMY WENDT PE
On Thursday, March 9, 2023, Offutt Air Force Base, in collaboration with Mortenson, held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new 55th Security Forces Squadron campus, marking the beginning of an important $68 million construction project. The new facility, located in Omaha, Nebraska, is part of a larger initiative to rebuild an area of the base that was destroyed by flooding in 2019. This project includes a security operations center, a firing range, and kennels for military working dogs.
The 55th Security Forces Squadron plays a vital role in safeguarding strategic weapons and U.S. Strategic Command facilities, while also providing installation police services. Unfortunately, the squadron’s facilities were destroyed during the devastating Missouri river flooding. In the aftermath of the catastrophe, 55th personnel have had to travel to other firing ranges, which has reduced the amount of time available for other essential tasks. Additionally, the military working dogs have been housed in multiple facilities, further complicating the already challenging situation. The new campus will enhance the capabilities of the 55th Security Forces Squadron, support their critical mission, provide a central location for training, and ensure the military dogs have a comfortable and safe place to call home.
“As the largest career field in the Air Force and the largest squadron on the base, it's the job of Security Forces to protect, defend and fight. In doing so, the 55th Security Forces provides security for the $9.1 billion in assets housed at Offutt, and an Offutt/Metro Omaha military community of 57,000. They deploy to locations worldwide in support of all geographic combatant commands. This is a squadron that traces its lineage through the iconic Strategic Air Command Elite Guard, a squadron that has long protected assets that cannot be allowed harm: the STRATCOM Global Operations Center, strategic intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, and of course our nuclear and national command and control aircraft. They have expertly handled people who have tested the security of this installation.” – Col Cooley
Members of the 55th showed up in force to celebrate the groundbreaking of their new home, eagerly anticipating the new facilities that will soon be available to the largest security forces squadron in the Air Force.
[Mortenson] gets to come in at the final phase with our design partners and others, and trade partners here locally, to execute on something that will mean a lot to put the community back to what it was and hopefully better than what it was.
Mortenson is teamed with FGM Architects, Baldridge & Associates Structural Engineering (BASE), SSC Engineering, Inc., Coffman Engineers, and Olsson, among many local trade partners, to help execute this design-build delivery project.
The project is slated for completion in November 2024.
Additional Resources:
3.9.2023//Offutt AFB breaks ground on project to restore area destroyed by 2019 flood
3.10.2023//Ground broken on new 55th SFS campus