John Noonan (@noonanjo) points out that the missile mystery is a great excuse to link to the famous — and short! — First Strike docu-drama from the late 1970s:
The documentary used actual Air Force personnel for actors, filmed at actual Air Force installations:
Specifically, the documentary used cameras on-board Strategic Air Command command planes out of Offutt Air Force Base and also shot footage inside NORAD.
The nuclear missile launch sequence seen in the film (and later in The Day After) was performed by actual Air Force officers stationed with the 742d Missile Squadron at Minot Air Force Base. The alert launch of B-52 bombers was performed by the 22nd Bombardment Wing at March Air Force Base, California. An additional scene provided by the United States Navy depicts the USS Francis Scott Key (SSBN-657) getting underway for a patrol.
None of the Air Force personnel were credited in the film, however the ICBM launch crew have visible name tags as “Lieutenant Krause” and “Captain Stanton”.
I wasn’t familiar with the original 1979 documentary film, but I was familiar with the dramatic 1983 TV film The Day After, which re-used plenty of footage.