PANHANDLE --  At random locations throughout the Nebraska Panhandle and the west are what looks like secure office complexes. 

They are plain in color with a security fence that says there is more to the facility than meets the eye. These are the brain centers of the U.S. Air Force missile defense system; 60 feet below ground and very secure.  

Entering the facility is an introduction to security many people will never experience. The main gate requires permission and gate entry; no freebies, even on a tour. Entering the building requires yet another security check.  

The facility, a Missile Alert Facility (MAF), is designed for staff to be on duty several days at a time. It has sleeping quarters, a dining area with an on-site chef, and a television lounge. There is also a fitness room. 

Before the descent to the Command Center, staff and visitors go through a check point. The Control Capsule staff are called with the number en route to the Control Capsule. Returning to topside, security officers verify the number returning matches the number that descended.

Most important is the control center, an elevator ride deep below ground level. It dissolves the perception of a keyboard panel feet away from the actual missile. The Control Capsule oversees numerous missiles in the region. 

The descent is a tour of art, and technology designed against the worst possible scenario. The Control Capsule itself is self-reliant when necessary, including a sleeping area, a kitchenette, water and air sources and a wastewater processor. The Command Center is also shock resistant. On the way to the Control Capsule, staff and visitors pass following the theme of the facility is seen.  

The Control Capsule can fit into a train car, or small storage container, which is also the history of the Control Capsule, according to Lt. Daniel Aguda, Missile Crew Combat Commander. 

 Lt. Daniel Aguda, Missile Crew Combat Commander, briefed two members of the Press on the control center, and how it works ... within security boundaries. Airmen on duty at the Control Center are there for days at a time. He compared the control center to the cockpit of an airliner; the commander is on the left and the deputy is on the right. 

2nd Lt. Grace BeBeau serves with as Lt. Aguda’s “deputy.” 

The console appears like a computer forgotten from the 1960s or ‘70s. However, behind the antiquated appearance is recent technology. But even with its updates, the system is dated. 

“As you can see a lot of this technology is pretty old. The console looks like it was built in the 60s. So we’ve been using the same equipment since then, with a couple of upgrades, and stuff like that. Beforehand, we didn’t have these screens when it was first introduced and the capsule looked a lot different,” Lt. BeBeau said. 

Maintaining the mission, constant readiness, is not limited to a single office or staff. It is a network of support, she said.

"There's a lot of different agencies, a lot of different teams, that go into keeping the mission going. We have our enlisted folks. We have all our security forces, defenders upstairs, and then, of course you have us, but not only that we have everyone back at Base. We have all our support agencies. So, there's just a lot that goes into the mission," Lt. BeBeau said.