Air F
orce leaders and nuclear enterprise “mission partners” at a nuclear summit last week at Bolling AFB, D.C., reached several decisions that relate to organizational and management issues, according to a Sept. 20 Air Force release. For one thing, the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, an Air Force Materiel Command entity at Kirtland AFB, N.M., will expand its role to include “all nuclear sustainment … and all sustaining activities inside CONUS weapons storage areas.” This will, according to the release, clear up “previously ambiguous chains of command.” Second, the Air Force will develop “a stronger, more centralized inspection process” that engages “common policies and procedures” with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. Third, Air Education and Training Command will consolidate and expand “lead-in and follow-on mission specific training for security personnel working in the nuclear field. And, last, the Air Force will create a new headquarters staff office (designated A10) to offer “singular focus on nuclear matters.” Air Force leaders plan to continue the discussion and decision-making on nuclear mission issues during this fall’s Corona conference.
After years of experiments and tests, senior Air Force leaders say they're on the verge of using C-17s and other cargo aircraft to launch cruise missiles via airdrop, touting the development as a way to bolster the combat fleet and a major shift in the service’s mindset.