Michael Lutton

Air Force Maj. Gen. Michael Lutton’s recent nomination for appointment to the grade of lieutenant general with assignment as deputy commander of Air Force Global Strike Command will mean he is one of two former commanders of the 91st Missile Wing at Minot Air Force Base to serve in top leadership roles with the command.

Minot AFB’s 5th Bomb Wing with its B-52 bombers and 91st Missile Wing with its intercontinental ballistic missiles in the Minot missile field are units of Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC).

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III recently announced President Biden nominated Lutton for the new grade and assignment. Currently, Lutton is commander of Twentieth Air Force at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming.

Lutton was commander of the Minot AFB missile wing from June 2014-June 2016. With U.S. Senate confirmation, he will receive his grade upgrade and new assignment.

Lt. Gen. Frank G. Klotz was the first commander of AFGSC from Aug. 7, 2009-Jan. 6, 2011. He was commander of Minot AFB’s 91st Missile Group, later changed to 91st Missile Wing, from January 1995-August 1996.

Other former Minot AFB officers have served in the top leadership roles of commander and vice commander of AFGSC.

They include:

AFGSC commanders

– Gen. Timothy Ray was commander of AFGSC from Aug. 21, 2018-Aug. 27, 2021. He was a B-52 flight commander, instructor and evaluator pilot with the 23rd Bomb Squadron at Minot AFB from November 1987-March 1993. From September 2005-July 2006, he was vice commander of Minot AFB’s 5th Bomb Wing.

– Gen. Anthony Cotton was commander of AFGSC from Aug. 27, 2021-Dec. 7, 2022. He has also served as AFGSC vice commander. Currently, he’s commander of U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt AFB, Nebraska. His first military assignment was at Minot AFB from October 1986-July 1991, where he was missile combat crew commander; standardization/evaluation missile combat crew commander; chief of standardization/evaluation operations/procedures branch and wing executive officer for the 91st Missile Wing.

AFGSC vice commanders

– Maj. Gen. Everett Thomas was vice commander of AFGSC from Jan 6, 2011-June 2013. From August 1988-August 1991, he was officer-in-charge, Electro-Mechanical Branch; officer in charge, Scheduling Control Branch; and officer in charge, Vehicle Equipment Control Branch, with the 91st Missile Wing.

– Maj. Gen. Michael Fortney was vice commander of AFGSC from April 17, 2015-July 6, 2017. From May 1986 -June 1990, he was missile combat crew commander, senior instructor deputy and senior instructor commander, Missile Combat Competition competitor deputy and commander at Minot AFB. From July 1990-September 1990, he was executive officer for the 57th Air Division commander at Minot AFB and from October 1990-June 1992, Emergency War Order Training officer and chief of Emergency War Order Training at Minot AFB.

– Anthony Cotton, then with the rank of lieutenant general, was vice commander of AFGSC from Oct. 29, 2019-Aug. 27, 2021.

Activated on Aug. 7, 2009, AFGSC is a major command with headquarters at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. It is responsible for the nation’s three intercontinental ballistic missile wings at Minot AFB, Malmstrom AFB, Montana, and F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming, the Air Force’s entire bomber force, including B-52, B-1 and B-2 wings, the Long Range Strike Bomber program, Air Force Nuclear Command, Control and Communications (NC3) systems, and operational and maintenance support of organizations within the nuclear enterprise.

– Sources include AFGSC Office of Senior Historian/Command Archivist.