Release Date: 08/08/2009

BAFB Chosen as site of new Global Strike Command

Barksdale chosen as site of new Global Strike Command

By John Andrew Prime
jprime@gannett.com

Air Force Global Strike Command was activated and gained its first commander in a short ceremony Friday in Hoban Hall at Barksdale Air Force Base.

Facing a front row filled with peers and elected officials, Lt. Gen. Frank Klotz took the flag of the Air Force's first new command in almost 30 years and told the men and women he will lead he has confidence in them.

"With the unfurling of this flag, we open a new chapter in Air Force history, a chapter written by you," said Klotz, a soft-spoken, affable missile specialist. "The activation today is not an endpoint. Rather, it's a milestone in a process of continuous improvement in the pursuit of excellence. There is much still to be done in bringing the command fully on line, but the women and men of Global Strike Command are ready and they're eager to move out. So let's get to work."

Global Strike will control all of the Air Force's nuclear missions and three major weapons systems -- the B-2 and B-52 bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles -- at five bases throughout the nation. By this time next year, it should have its full complement of just more than 900 headquarters personnel, with roughly 20,000 people in three missile wings and three bomb wings.

Klotz, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley and presiding officer and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz paid homage to Strategic Air Command, which was inactivated in 1992 and previously had encompassed all of the service's nuclear missions, as well as numerous support roles. In a moment of great significance, the SAC flag was unfurled and its honors transferred to the new Global Strike Command flag, passing on almost 50 years of tradition to the fledgling unit.

"SAC was a magnificent organization, it kept the peace for over 40 years," Klotz said. But, he continued, "our ultimate success in this endeavor depends upon the airmen assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command, those who currently serve in 8th Air Force and 20th Air Force. They have been through a tough and challenging couple of years as we have gone through a tough and rigorous self-assessment of the Air Force nuclear enterprise."

That alluded to several nuclear components-handling mistakes that led to several top Air Force leaders being fired and a reassessment of priorities that led to the creation of the command.

"As important as our other defense priorities may be, there is none more important than our special responsibility for nuclear weapons."

Donley noted that "certainly, the Cold War environment from which SAC was created is long gone. But from that heritage and from that experience, we expect Global Strike Command to carry forward the renewed commitment to the highest standards of professional excellence and nuclear expertise, to guide the new generation of airmen overseeing our nation's most critical military mission."

Schwartz said "the mission of safeguarding our vital nuclear capability and maintaining our nuclear deterrence mission requires the sharpest focus on excellence and unwavering adherence to precision and reliability. ... In the business of nuclear weapons, there is no room for error."

Seated in the front row was retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Howard Fish, a Shreveporter who once was assistant vice chief of staff of the Air Force, the same job Klotz relinquished to take on Global Strike.

The reation of Global Strike helps rectify what may have been a mistake, said Fish, who retired 30 years ago. "It kind of calls into question whether they should have deactivated Strategic Air Command or not."

U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu noted the new command "will attract some of the best and brightest scientists and engineers from around the world right here."

Activation of the command offers "many opportunities for private-sector companies all along the I-20 corridor," said Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. "(But) more than economic development, more than jobs, it's another way for Louisiana to support our military."

The highly technical new command justifies the $107 million pledged to support the Cyber Innovation Center in Bossier City and improved interstate access to the base, Jindal said.

Landing the unexpected prize of Global Strike after chasing Cyber Command has "been a bit of a roller-coaster ride," U.S. Sen. David Vitter said, agreeing that opportunity is on the state's doorstep. "It's positive that the top leadership of the Air Force has such a focus and such a commitment to this new major command and Barksdale."