During a senior leadership meeting in October, Air Force Global Strike Command officials crafted the mission statement and vision for the new organization, which will oversee the nation’s ICBMs and nuclear-capable bombers. The command’s mission is to: “Develop and provide combat-ready forces for nuclear deterrence and global strike operations … safe, secure, credible … to support the President of the United States and combatant commanders.” Lt. Gen. Frank Klotz, the AFGSC commander, said this mission “needs to be understood by everyone in the command, because we truly have been given a special trust and responsibility for our nation’s strategic deterrence mission.” The command’s vision is: “American airmen with special trust and responsibility for the most powerful weapons in our nation’s arsenal … an elite, highly disciplined team … building a model command.” (Barksdale release)
As commander of Air Forces Central, Lt. Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich has been at the heart of almost all U.S. military action in the Middle East, from overseeing airstrikes against Iranian proxy groups to protecting troops as America’s air defense commander for the region. Just before handing over his command to…