The Senate on May 7 confirmed Lt. Gen. Frank Klotz to retain three stars and take leadership of the new, nuclear-centric Air Force Global Strike Command. In a May 8 release, Klotz said, “I really look forward to serving alongside the great airmen in bomber and missile organizations that will fall under the new command.” The White House nominated Klotz, who currently serves as assistant vice chief of staff of the Air Force, in April to lead the new command. The service plans to stand up AFGSC this fall and has selected Barksdale AFB, La., as the preferred location for its headquarters, much to the consternation of elected officials and community leaders in Nebraska, who expected to see the new command at Offutt Air Force Base, the former headquarters for Strategic Air Command.
Air Force exercises in the Indo-Pacific may soon get even bigger and more robust, as lawmakers move to invest more than $620 million in such efforts. The bulk of that money, contained in a $150 billion reconciliation package currently making its way through Congress, is $532.6 million for earmarked for…