To Be Led By As-Yet Unnamed General

Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana has been picked as the new home of the Air Force's Global Strike Command, which will oversee most of the military's nuclear bomber fleet and strategic ballistic missile operations, the Air Force announced Thursday.

Global Strike Command will include both the 8th and 20th Air Force, according to an Air Force news release. Eighth Air Force's headquarters is at Barksdale, and 20th Air Force's headquarters is at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, WY.

The new command will manage B-2 Spirit and B-52 Stratofortress bomber operations. That capability was formerly managed by Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base, VA.

The command also will maintain and operate the Air Force's intercontinental missile operations that previously were under the purview of Air Force Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base, CO.

Management of B-1 Lancer bomber operations will still be conducted by Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base. The cyber and intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance missions will be removed from 8th Air Force's portfolio.

Other bases that were under consideration to be the command's headquarters included Minot Air Force Base, ND; F.E. Warren Air Force Base; Malmstrom Air Force Base, MT; Offutt Air Force Base, NE; and Whiteman Air Force Base, MO. Site surveys of all bases under consideration were completed March 6.

"All six candidate locations received a thorough evaluation in accordance with our basing process," said Kathleen Ferguson, the Air Force's deputy assistant secretary for installations.

An environmental impact evaluation at Barksdale is pending, according to the release. An as-yet unnamed three-star general will command Global Strike Command.

As ANN reported, the stand up of GSC came about from a reorganization of the Air Force's nuclear-mission organization ordered by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, following some highly publicized operational miscues committed by Air Force nuclear force managers.

The Air Force announced in October 2008 that a new major command would be formed to oversee the service's nuclear-deterrence mission. Bolling Air Force Base here has served as Global Strike Command's provisional headquarters since January 12.

(Aero-News thanks Gerry J. Gilmore, American Forces Press Service)

FMI: www.barksdale.af.mil