The AFGSC History page contains stories, photos and videos about Air Force Global Strike Command, as well our lineage to the Strategic Air Command. All products are provided by the AFGSC History Office. For more information about Air Force History in general, visit the Air Force History site.
Air Force Global Strike Command, activated August 7, 2009, is a major command with headquarters at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, in the Shreveport-Bossier City community. AFGSC is responsible for the nation's three intercontinental ballistic missile wings, the Air Force’s entire bomber force, to include B-52, B-1 and B-2 wings, the Long-Range Strike Bomber program, Air Force Nuclear Command, Control and Communications (NC3) systems, and operational and maintenance support to organizations within the nuclear enterprise.
January 12, 2009 – Air Force officials officially established Air Force Global Strike Command (Provisional) at Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, D.C. with supporting detachments at Air Combat Command, Air Force Space Command, and commanded by Brig. Gen. James M. Kowalski. The provisional command was responsible for implementing the Secretary of the Air Force's Program Action Directive and Programming Plan.
August 7, 2009 – Air Force Global Strike Command stood up and was tasked to oversee all United States Air Force long-range nuclear-capable bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile forces in a ceremony at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana.
December 1, 2009 – The command assumed the U.S. Air Force's Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile mission with the assumption of 20th Air Force and the 576th Flight Test Squadron. These units were previously part of Air Force Space Command.
February 1, 2010 – The command assumed the U.S. Air Force's strategic long-range nuclear-capable B-2 Spirit and B-52 Stratofortress bomber missions with the assumption of the 8th Air Force mission. These units were previously part of Air Combat Command.
April 8, 2010 – Presidents Barack H. Obama and Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev signed the New START Treaty in Prague, Czech Republic on this date.
February 5, 2011 – The New START Treaty entered into force on this date, upon exchange of the instruments of ratification by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the Security Conference in Munich, Germany.
March 20, 2011 – Three B-2s from the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman AFB, Missouri, flew a long-range strike mission to support Operation Odyssey Dawn.
October 17, 2011 – Units assigned to AFGSC awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for period covering June 1, 2008 - May 31, 2010.
December 1, 2011 – USAF re-aligned the weapons storage areas from AFMC to AFGSC.
March 28, 2013 – Two B-2 bombers conduct a long-duration, round-trip training mission from Whiteman AFB to the Republic of Korea as part of the ongoing bilateral Foal Eagle training exercise.
October 1, 2015 - 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess AFB, Texas, and 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, (B-1B Lancer) and Long-Range Strike Bomber Program transfer from Air Combat Command to Air Force Global Strike Command. The 377th Air Base Wing at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, transfers from Air Force Material Command. The realignment enhances the Air Force’s global strike capabilities by placing all bombers under a single command.
October 1, 2016 – The United States Air Force Nuclear Command, Control and Communications Center (USAF NC3 Center) was established at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana. USAF NC3 is a sub-organization of Air Force Global Strike Command tasked to provide technical and operational support to maintain the health of communication links between the National Military Command Authority and the nuclear warfighters of the U.S. Air Force.
September 29, 2017 – USSTRATCOM designation of AFGSC as Air Forces Strategic - Air (AFSTRAT). AFSTRAT is the USSTRATCOM warfighting air-component.
February 26, 2018 – HQ AFGSC activated three new missile security forces squadrons (MSFS) under the Missile Security Operational Concept (MSOC) and assigned them to the security forces groups at the missile bases: 890 MSFS at F. E. Warren AFB, WY; 891 MSFS at Minot AFB, ND, and 841 MSFS at Malmstrom AFB, MT. Each security forces group now possessed three missile security forces squadrons.
May 2, 2018 – The Air Force announced its B-21 Raider basing selections: Dyess AFB, TX; Ellsworth AFB, SD; and Whiteman AFB, MO. Barksdale AFB, LA and Minot AFB, ND would continue to host the B-52H, which is expected to continue conducting operations through 2050. Air Force officials expected to make a final basing decision in 2019 after compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act and other regulations.
May 10, 2018 – Brig Gen John T. Wilcox II, A5/8 Director, submitted the completed Air Force Form 1067 Aircraft Modification and Addendum (Sustainment/Category 2) to Headquarters Air Force (HAF)/A5R which requested replacing the current TF-33-P103 engines of the B-52H with a Commercial Engine Replacement Program (CERP). General Wilcox noted the existing engines of the B-52H would not be sustainable beyond 2030. He observed CERP would allow the B-52H to maintain its nuclear and conventional capability through 2050 and serve as the threshold platform for the Long-Range Standoff (LRSO) missile.
January 10, 2019 – As part of the reorganization of AFGSC associated with the activation of the HQ Global Strike Operations Center at Barksdale AFB, the command redesignated HQ Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) to HQ Eighth Air Force. The removal of the parenthetical portion of the Mighty Eighth’s designation reflected the shift from the component numbered air force (C NAF) structure as the main warfighting echelon to creation of the warfighting headquarters at the AFGSC-level as a component major command (C-MAJCOM).
March 3, 2019 – Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) activated Detachment 7 HQ AFGSC/A5/8 at Duke Field, FL to support testing and evaluation of the MH-139, the command’s UH 1N replacement aircraft. The detachment would be manned and equipped later in the year.
July 17, 2019 – As part of the Air Force-wide reorganization of medical units, AFGSC activated five new healthcare operations squadrons (HCOS) and assigned them to the like-numbered medical groups at Minot AFB, ND (5 HCOS), Ellsworth AFB, SD (28 HCOS), F. E. Warren AFB, WY (90 HCOS), Malmstrom AFB, MT (341 HCOS), and Whiteman AFB, MO (509 HCOS). Also on this date, AFGSC redesignated the 5th Medical Operations Squadron (MDOS) to 5th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron (OMRS) and the 28 MDOS to 28 OMRS. Additional organizational actions on this date included redesignating 90 MDOS to 90 OMRS, 341 MDOS to 341 OMRS, 377th Aerospace Medicine Squadron (AMDS) to 377 OMRS, 377 MDOS to 377 HCOS, and 509 MDOS to 509 OMRS. All redesignated squadrons remained assigned to their like-numbered medical groups.
October 1, 2020 – As part of the Air Force-wide medical reform, AFGSC activated the 2d Dental Squadron at Barksdale AFB, LA, and assigned it to the 2d Medical Group. The squadron had previously been inactivated on 31 Aug 2019, an action later deemed premature by the medical community as the number of dental beneficiaries, active duty and military retirees, did not change as envisioned.
April 23, 2021 – Two B-52H bombers from the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot AFB, ND deployed to Al Udeid AB, Qatar to provide cover for US and coalition personnel during the full withdrawal from Afghanistan to be completed by 11 Sep 2021. By early May, the pair were joined by four additional B-52Hs, also from Minot AFB.
June 4, 2021 – AFGSC hosted an inactivation ceremony for the HQ USAF Nuclear Command, Control and Communications Center at Barksdale AFB’s Phase Hangar presided over by General Ray. Col Craig M. Ramsey, the center commander, decorated with the Legion of Merit by General Ray, prepared to PCS to Maxwell AFB, AL. As the organizational change request remained in coordination, a special order formally inactivating the center would be published by AFGSC at a later date. To normalize the NC3 weapon system, AFGSC planned to transfer the center’s personnel and functions to new divisions within the AFGSC A3/6, A4, and A5/8 Directorates.
September 24, 2021 – The Air Force announced Rolls-Royce North America as its selection to provide the F130 engine for the B-52H under the Commercial Engine Replacement Program (CERP). The Air Force noted the $2.6 billion contract provided “for 608 military derivative commercial engines, plus spare engines, associated support equipment and commercial engineering data, to include sustainment activities, to be used on the B-52H bomber fleet.” The first B 52Hs with the new Rolls-Royce F130 engines were expected to be delivered by 2028 with the remainder of the fleet re-engined by 2035.
April 5, 2022 – Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall officially approved the designation of Global Strike’s newest ICBM as the LGM-35A Sentinel. The weapon system, previously referred to as the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent or GBSD, would “provide continuity in strategic deterrence and cost less than extending the life of the current ICBM fleet,” Kendall said.
November 1, 2022 – Effective this date, HQ AFGSC activated the following units at the locations noted and assigned them as follows: HQ 377th Test and Evaluation Group activated at Vandenberg SFB, CA, and assigned to the 377th Air Base Wing; 377th Flight Test Missile Maintenance Squadron activated at Vandenberg SFB and assigned to the 377th Test and Evaluation Group; 377th Test Support Squadron activated at Kirtland AFB, NM, and assigned to the 377th Test and Evaluation Group. Concurrently, HQ AFGSC transferred the 576th Flight Test Squadron at Vandenberg SFB from the 377th Air Base Wing to the 377th Test and Evaluation Group.
December 2, 2022 – Lt Gen Richard G. Moore, Jr., Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans and Programs (AF/A8), informed the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center the Mission Design Series (MDS) designation B-52J had been approved for the aircraft. The projected CERP, including upgraded engines, struts and nacelles, power generation, and cockpit displays for the B-52H aircraft necessitated a new MDS for the venerable Stratofortress.
January 23, 2023 – Lt Col Daniel C. Sebeck briefed the “Malmstrom Initiative” to Col David G. Hanson, Space Delta 1 commander; Col Donald E. Lofton, Jr., 21st Medical Group commander; Lt Col Andrew W. Bursaw, 21st Medical Group/SGH, and others, at Peterson SFB, CO. Supportive of the effort, Colonel Hanson directed the 21st Medical Group team to contact the AFGSC Surgeon General, Col Lee D. Williames, for clarification and a way forward. Acting decisively on the “Malmstrom Initiative,” Gen Thomas A. Bussiere, AFGSC commander, took immediate and transparent steps to request a risk assessment for all Airmen and Guardians in the missile community. Specifically, he requested the U.S. Air Force (USAF) School of Aerospace Medicine to conduct a formal assessment into the reported cancers. The Air Force Medical Service soon established a website with information about the Missile Community Cancer Study.
September 28, 2023 – AFGSC crews from the B-1B, B-2A, B-52H communities and F-15E crews from Air Combat Command took part in hypersonic weapon familiarization training at Edwards AFB, CA. The crews received academics and training on the operational, tactical, and logistical aspects of the ARRW, HACM, and other hypersonic programs under development.
January 12, 2024 – The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center (AFNWC) and Northrop Grumman conducted a static fire test of the Stage-2 solid rocket motor of the LGM-35A Sentinel Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) at Arnold Engineering and Development Complex, Arnold AFB, TN. The was the second in a series of static fire tests of the Sentinel’s three-stage propulsion system, with the first test being conducted on the Stage-1 motor on 2 Mar 2023.
March 9, 2024 – Malmstrom AFB, MT hosted a ceremony marking the arrival of its first MH-139A helicopter (18-1006), where it was assigned to the 550th Helicopter Squadron (HS) (Provisional). General Bussiere, Col Philip A. Bryant, 582nd Helicopter Group commander, and Lt Col Tyler J. Williams, 550 HS (P) commander, spoke at the event. Also on this date, Malmstrom AFB held a groundbreaking ceremony for its Sentinel Weapons Generation Facility. Those wielding the ceremonial groundbreaking shovels were Senator Jon Tester of Montana, General Bussiere, Col Kathryn P. Sanborn, commander of US Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District; Col Barry E. Little, 341st Missile Wing commander, and Mr. Dennis McBride, vice president at The Walsh Group—Walsh Construction and Archer Western Federal JV, project contracting firm.
March 16, 2024 – The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center (AFNWC), Northrop Grumman, and Aerojet Rocketdyne conducted a static fire test of the Stage-3 solid rocket motor of the LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM at Arnold Engineering and Development Complex, Arnold AFB, TN. This was the third in a series of static fire tests of the Sentinel’s three-stage propulsion system.
May 6, 2024 – General Thomas A. Bussiere, AFGSC commander, addressed a memorandum to the missile community summarizing the PCB sampling results at the command’s three missile wings and at Vandenberg SFB. He reported the decommissioned sites for the Peacekeeper and Titan missile systems could not be sampled, but a review of technical data showed that PCB-containing components were likely used in those MAFs and LCCs. The memorandum sought to assist veterans and retirees of the missile community obtain toxic exposure screenings at the Department of Veterans Affairs and inform civilian healthcare providers.
May 29, 2024 – General Bussiere presided over the change of responsibility ceremony at Barksdale’s Hoban Hall as CMSgt Melvina A. Smith retired from the Air Force and CMSgt Shawn M. Aiello assumed duties from her as the new AFGSC Command Chief Master Sergeant. This was the first such ceremony in AFGSC marking the transfer of senior leadership responsibility to a Command Chief under guidelines in the new Air Force Pamphlet 36-2692, Enlisted Induction and Change of Responsibility Ceremonies, dated 7 Mar 2024.
December 20, 2024 – AFGSC issued Tasking Order (TASKORD) 25-01 directing the 28th Bomb Wing to move its daily operations from Ellsworth AFB, SD to Grand Forks AFB, ND, and its heavy maintenance operations to Dyess AFB, TX. The move came in response to an extensive runway repair project at Ellsworth AFB lasting about 10 months.
March 11, 2025 – Two B-52Hs of the 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron operating from Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford, United Kingdom and assigned to Bomber Task Force 25-2, conducted a live weapons drop over Swedish airspace in conjunction with US and Swedish Joint Terminal Attack Controllers. The bombers, accompanied by a pair of Swedish JAS 39 Grippen fighters, dropped GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions on the Vidsel Test Range in northern Sweden, an operation dubbed “Viking Nebula.” Prior to the weapons release, the B-52Hs conducted a flyover of the Swedish Parliament in honor of Sweden’s first anniversary of joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
April 3, 2025 – Launch Facility (LF) 5E10 transferred from the 90th Missile Wing and F.E. Warren AFB, WY to AFGSC Site Activation Task Force (SATAF) Detachment 10. Upon completion of an implementation plan within 30 days, LF 5E10 would be considered administratively transferred and decertified from Minuteman III generation requirements and transferred into caretaker status.
April 10, 2025 – Colonel Erik N. Dunn, AFGSC Financial Management and Comptroller (AFGSC/FM), announced AFGSC received its revised FY25 budget from SAF/FMB, which had been reduced by $48 million from the Command’s initial budget issued as part of its execution plan. Colonel Dunn reported AFGSC received a reduction of $51.3 million in its share of distributed and undistributed marks, including specific cuts to B-52 ($7 million), B-1B ($6 million), Minuteman III ($24 million) and Sentinel ($10 million), although AFGSC could spread the burden as it saw fit amongst these programs. AFGSC/FM expected to produce a draft solvency plan to get the Command through the end of the FY by 18 Apr 2025.
May 21, 2025 - Colonel Diehl, AFGSC Chief of Staff, announced the Command’s implementation of Orgo, a new dynamic, DoD-wide digital mapping tool that identified personnel, decoded office symbols, and streamlined coordination across directorates.