The E-4B is one of the so-called Doomsday planes. In the event of a nuclear war, a terrorist attack, an alien invasion or, generally speaking, Armageddon, the U.S. Air Force’s four E-4B planes based at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska will be responsible to keep the U.S. Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other top personalities alive whilst Obama would be on board the Air Force One.
In the event of a nuclear strike on American soil, we’re going to be in a little bit of trouble. But at least we’ll die safe in the knowledge that the valiant leaders of our nation—or any yahoos lucky enough to be in office at the time—will be escaping the nuclear holocaust in a fleet of environmentally-impervious airborne command centers. The Boeing E-4 Advanced Airborne Command Post, part of a fleet of four highly-modified airliners collectively known as project Nightwatch, serve as the National Airborne Operations Center (NAOC) for the National Command Authorities. So basically, when we go to Defcon 1, whether it’s due to say a terrorist attack or a North Korean nuke strike or first contact with the Borg, our nation’s leaders can take to the skies and remain out of immediate harm while maintaining full command of the country.