As the Air Force’s Air Launched Cruise Missile nears the end of its service life, “Clearly now’s the time to begin that effort to do the follow-on missile,” said Lt. Gen. James Kowalski, Air Force Global Strike Command boss. A future standoff cruise missile is planned “within the long-range-strike family of systems,” Kowalski told reporters last week at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla. He underscored that any new design must equally account for the unique demands of the nuclear as well as conventional missions. Air Force officials need to “make sure it’s matched with the right warhead . . . [and] has the command and control, and the nuke surety that we expect,” he said. Though much will depend on the shape of future aircraft that will carry the weapon, what is certain today is that the weapon must be stealthy, he said. “We’ll need to look at the anti-access, area-denial capabilities,” he explained, adding that the missile “needs to have the capability to do some penetration, obviously.”
US Space Command Should Always Be Led by a Guardian
Sept. 12, 2026
General Stephen Whiting took command of U.S. Space Command in January 2024, and if customary three-year tenures hold, his tour would end in January 2027. The question now before the President and Senate is who should follow him? Whoever they choose, it has to be a Guardian—and so should every successor…
