My work focuses on the civil-military relations surrounding stateside military bases during the early Cold War. In particular, I examine the political and economic effects of the Air Force’s presence in rural Missouri, especially at Whiteman Air Force Base in the west-central region and Malden Air Base in the Bootheel. My work attempts to bridge the gaps between the contexts of the global Cold War, the U.S. national security establishment, and the prerogatives of local communities. I contend that everyday Missourians were not held captive by a culture of militarism or federal mandates, but rather that local attitudes and actions regarding the Cold War lent legitimacy to and helped shape America’s strategic priorities.