Strategic Air Command (
SAC) was both a Department of Defense
Specified Command and a
United States Air Force (USAF)
Major Command (MAJCOM) responsible for
Cold War command and control of two of the three components of the U.S. military's
strategic nuclear strike forces, the so-called "
Nuclear Triad," with SAC having control of land-based
strategic bomber aircraft and
intercontinental ballistic missiles (
ICBMs). SAC also operated all strategic
reconnaissance aircraft, all strategic airborne command post aircraft, and all USAF
aerial refueling aircraft, to include those in the
Air Force Reserve (AFRES) and
Air National Guard (ANG), with the exception of those
KB-50,
KC-97,
HC-130 and
MC-130 aircraft operated by
Tactical Air Command (TAC),
Military Airlift Command (MAC),
Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) from May 1990 onward, or associated AFRES and ANG aerial refueling aircraft gained by TAC, MAC or AFSOC.