D.C. base to be interim nuclear command

Minot AFB’s bomb, missile wings will be part of new Global Strike Command

By ELOISE OGDEN, Regional Editor eogden@minotdailynews.com

Bolling Air Force Base, a military installation in Washington, D.C., and close to the Pentagon, has been selected as the interim headquarters for the new nuclear command Global Strike Command, according to Air Force officials.

The new command is being established to specifically manage nuclear assets.

Capt. Elizabeth Aptekar, of the Secretary of the Air Force Office of Public Affairs at the Pentagon, emphasized the interim basing "is only temporary." She said the basing process for a permanent location for Air Force Global Strike Command is under way and requires detailed coordination.

The permanent location for the command's headquarters is expected to be named in the next year.

Minot AFB, which is the only base with two nuclear missions B-52 bombers and Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles is among candidates for the command's permanent headquarters. North Dakota's congressional delegation is urging having it at the Minot base.

The bomb and missile wings at Minot AFB will become part of the new command.

The new nuclear command is one of many changes the Air Force has made to correct deficiencies affecting the service's nuclear weapons arsenal, including an incident in August 2007 when a B-52 bomber from Barksdale AFB, La., was mistakenly loaded with nuclear weapons at Minot AFB and flown to Barksdale.

Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley and Air Force Chief of Staff Norton Schwartz selected Bolling as the interim site, Aptekar said.

Why Bolling?

Aptekar explained why Bolling was selected as the interim location.

"We considered locations that had existing facilities, best leveraged nuclear expertise in the area (from Air Staff and locations nearby), and minimized permanent-change-of-station moves," Aptekar said. "This temporary location, not a candidate for final basing consideration, provides the appropriate conditions to work through the significant amount of preparatory activities prior to final basing decision."

The interim headquarters for the new command will have a core group of 55 people with detachments at Air Force Space Command and Air Combat Command, Aptekar said.

Minot AFB's 91st Missile Wing is a unit of Air Force Space Command, which has its headquarters at Peterson AFB, Colo. Minot AFB's 5th Bomb Wing is a unit of Air Combat Command, which has its headquarters at Langley AFB, Va.

As far as who will command Global Strike Command, Aptekar said they plan to have a formal announcement this month. She said they anticipate the commander selection for the interim headquarters will be a two-star general. "Eventually, a three-star will be nominated, and pending confirmation, command AFGSC," she said.

Top candidate

The Dec. 12 edition of "Air Force Times" reported Lt. Gen. Frank Klotz, who is assistant vice chief of staff of the Air Force, is a top candidate for the position. The publication reported Pentagon officers who asked not to be named, said Klotz fills the three-star general requirement and has an extensive nuclear background.

Klotz has ties to North Dakota.

During his 35 years of Air Force service, he was commander of the 91st Missile Group at Minot AFB, later designated 91st Missile Wing, from January 1995 to August 1996. In North Dakota, he also served in several missile-related positions at Grand Forks AFB. That base no longer has ICBMs. Before his present position, Klotz was vice commander of Air Force Space Command.

In June, Klotz visited the Minot base and the city of Minot, along with Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., and Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., for a public meeting in the city to talk about plans to add a second B-52 squadron at the Minot base.

Role of interim headquarters

Aptekar briefly explained what the interim headquarters for the new command will be doing until a permanent location is chosen.

Its primary role "will be to implement the Program Action Directive, which outlines necessary actions to stand up the new Global Strike Command, assist in developing criteria to be used for identifying a final location, and identify manpower and resource requirements that will transfer to the newly established AFGSC," Aptekar said.

She said the interim headquarters will also work closely with headquarters Air Force Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration Office, Air Combat Command, Air Force Space Command and Air Force Material Command as it refines the roles and responsibilities of the new major command.

Last week the newly-created Air Force Nuclear Oversight Board held its first meeting. That group was developed as part of the Air Force Nuclear Roadmap announced in October.

Besides discussing the establishment of the interim headquarters at Bolling, Aptekar said the board also discussed manning for nuclear enterprise organizations, streamlining the inspection process, and other milestones that would support Air Force Global Strike Command reaching initial operating capability in September 2009.

Permanent basing

In regard to the permanent basing for the new command, Aptekar said the Air Force has a process for basing which is determined by public law.

"The process of selecting a permanent location for the Global Strike Command is an evaluation based on the need to deliver this capability and perform this AF (Air Force) mission best. We are conducting a thorough, measured review of Air Force installations to determine the best location," she said.

She said the Secretary of the Air Force will make a decision on the command's permanent location, in consultation with Department of Defense officials and Congress.

"Any decision on the permanent location will not be made until the Environmental Impact Analysis Process is complete," she said.

For more about the new Global Strike Command and Minot AFB, see the Sunday, Dec. 14, edition of The Minot Daily News or The Minot Daily News Web site, Sunday, Dec. 14, Military section, at (www.minotdailynews.com).