Air Force Global Strike Command already has a staff of about 160 personnel in its headquarters at Barksdale AFB, La., and continues to build the HQ toward its full strength of about 900 airmen by next summer, Lt. Gen. Frank Klotz, the new command’s boss, said Friday. Speaking at a National Defense University Foundation-sponsored breakfast on Capitol Hill, Klotz said another 100 airmen destined for the HQ are scheduled to arrive in the next several weeks. On top of that, about 70 officers and noncommissioned officers are temporarily assigned to Barksdale to assist with the HQ build-up he said. The Air Force activated Global Strike Command on Aug. 7 to oversee its nuclear and global strike forces. “We are establishing this new command, I hope, in a very systematic and step-by-step approach,” said Klotz.
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.