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 Department of the Air Force wants to launch a construction boom with its fiscal 2027 budget, more than doubling its request over 2026, according to budget documents.