The Air Force announced Thursday afternoon that it had settled on Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana as the permanent site for the headquarters of its new Air Force Global Strike Command. The service had tapped Barksdale in April as its preferred location for the new command, which will comprise the service’s force of nuclear-capable bombers and ICBMs, pending the outcome of the required environmental assessment. That decision sparked much dismay among folks in Nebraska, who thought Offutt Air Force Base, the former home to Strategic Air Command, would be the logical choice. According to the Air Force’s June 18 statement, it will activate the new command at Barksdale on Aug. 7. The service already has selected Lt. Gen. Frank Klotz to lead the command.
The Air Force's new Aircraft Readiness Unit will maintain and provide Collaborative Combat Aircraft for operations, but won’t serve as a “schoolhouse” teaching fighter pilots how to manage these escort drones.