Active and Reserve airmen at Barksdale AFB, La., have formed the Air Force’s first consolidated command post, which will provide a “more uniformly trained force,” said Lt. Col. Anthony Switalski, Barksdale Command Post chief. The new Total Force entity still faces several months of consolidation efforts, but once done, Switalski said, that controllers on duty, whether active or Reserve, will “be providing command and control for both wings”—the Air Combat Command 2nd Bomb Wing and Air Force Reserve Command 917th Wing. (917th Wing report by MSgt. Sherri Bohannon)
The B-2 Spirit remains grounded due to safety issues—and the plane’s stand-down is beginning to disrupt planned operations. According to information provided to the media, the stealth strategic bomber from the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., was originally scheduled to participate in the latest iteration of…