The 377th Air Base Wing at Kirtland AFB, N.M., transferred to Air Force Global Strike Command, Oct. 1, as part of efforts to consolidate nuclear readiness and support with the operational mission. The 377th ABW was previously assigned to Air Force Materiel Command but will now report to 20th Air Force, which oversees AFGSC’s nuclear ICBM force. The change “highlights the continued improvements the Air Force is making in the nuclear enterprise to ensure we remain the most credible, capable, and reliable force for our n?ation,” 20th AF Commander Maj. Gen. Jack Weinstein said in a release. Approximately 1,796 airmen and civilian employees at Kirtland will transition from AFMC to AFGSC, retaining their previous roles and responsibilities. AFGSC also recently absorbed the B-1 bomber force, gaining the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess AFB, Texas, and the 28th BW at Ellsworth AFB, S.D., from Air Combat Command. The service is additionally restructuring the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, also at Kirtland, though the center will remain under AFMC, according to a factsheet. The Air Force elevated AFGSC from a three-star, to a four-star-led command, elevating its status in July.
F-35As from the Vermont Air National Guard have deployed to Puerto Rico in recent days, continuing a major buildup of U.S. Air Force assets in Latin America aimed at combating drug trafficking and pressuring the regime of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
