Gen. Kevin P. Chilton, head of Air Force Space Command, described his new command as the “invisible force” and labeled 20th Air Force’s ICBM force as the President’s “biggest hammer,” on a recent visit to F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo., home to the 90th Space Wing and 20th AF. He says the command’s challenge is two-fold: to be experts in the application of the in-the-background, but increasingly essential, space capabilities and to fathom ways to provide “ever greater support.” Chilton called the big hammer ICBM force “just as much or more relevant today … as we see other nations seek to develop nuclear weapons.”
The Air Force is launching an effort to develop a new stand-off missile with a range of 1,000 nautical miles, or 1,150 miles, that would eventually be used for both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions.