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.
Boeing received a $2.47 billion Air Force contract Nov. 25 for 15 more KC-46s, bringing to 183 the number of Pegasus tankers on contract to all customers, foreign and domestic. The new contract—for Lot 12 of the initially planned KC-46 buy—is to be completed by 2029.
