SourceContinuing the ever-present doctrine of centralized control, the
Air Force Global Strike Command assumed control of the 8th Air Force nuclear-capable bombers today, thus bringing all US international
ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and nuclear bombers under one command whose mission statement is “…to support the
President of the United States and
combatant commanders.” Officially activated on August 7, 2009, Global Strike assumed control of ICBMs on
December 1, as the new command heads toward fully operational status by the fall of 2010.
Global
Strike was first discussed in October of 2008 to boost security and
responsibility. The need for “additional” security and accountability
goes back to 2007, when
a B-52 was loaded with nuclear warheads that were not discovered until it landed in
Barksdale Air Force base. The
Centre for Research on Globalization soon after detailed the cover-up and mysterious deaths regarding this incident and can be read in detail
here. Air Force Global
Strike Command is the first
centralized command of all nuclear air force assets in 27 years.
Global Strike has
23,000 airmen, government employees, and contractors under the command of
Lt. Gen. Frank G. Klotz, a member of the
Council on Foreign Relations and former Rhodes scholar. General Klotz has also served as a Defense Attaché to Moscow, a member of the
National Security Council (July 2001-May 2003), part of the US Mission to
NATO, and Commander of
Air Force Space Command.
The
Global Strike Command is currently comprised of the 20th Air Force
consisting of the 90th, 91st, and 341st missile wings, the 8th Air
Force consisting of the 2nd, 5th, and 509th bomber wings, and the
direct reporting units of the
576th Flight Test Squadron (based out of
Vandenberg AFB, California) and 625th Strategic Operations Squadron.