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Air Force Global Strike Command gets new top leader

  • Published
  • By Maja Stevanovich
  • Air Force Global Strike Command Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  Lt. Gen. James Kowalski assumed command of Air Force Global Strike Command here Jan. 6, becoming the second-ever commander of the organization responsible for all of the nation's ICBMs and nuclear-capable bombers.

Presiding at the ceremony, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said General Kowalski--who commanded Global Strike Command when it was a provisional unit--has "done remarkable work from the earliest days of Air Force Global Strike Command, and he is poised for success."

"I have complete confidence that he'll perform well," General Schwartz said.

General Kowalski addressed the crowd in Barksdale's historic Hoban Hall, which included a military formation led by the commanders of 8th Air Force, 20th Air Force and all six of the command's wing commanders. Also gathered were hundreds of Airmen and distinguished military and civilian leaders from North Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Missouri, Louisiana and throughout the Air Force.

"From our deployed Airmen who stand ready in the AOR, to our Airmen who stand ready in the missile fields, to our Airmen who stand ready to fly, fix, fuel, [and] arm B-2 and B-52 bombers--this command is 23,000 American Airmen and civilians, committed to the defense of our nation," General Kowalski said. "To those warriors, I pledge to stand ready with you, and to give you the best leadership, guidance, and example I possibly can."

The new commander highlighted three challenges for Global Strike Command. The first is to consolidate the gains across the nuclear enterprise and complete the restoration of a culture that embraces "the special trust and responsibility of nuclear weapons."

Second, he said, "we have to be agile enough to maintain an intense focus on our nuclear deterrence mission while also aggressively supporting the current conventional fight."

Third, General Kowalski said "we must be innovative so we can sustain and enhance our current force while preparing to meet the challenges of the future."

As the crowd departed and walked outside, a crew from Barksdale's 2nd Bomb Wing piloted a B-52 Stratofortress in a flyover, in honor of the occasion.

General Kowalski comes to the top position after serving as the command's vice commander since the organization's activation Aug. 7, 2009. He was promoted to his three-star rank in a ceremony about an hour before the change of command.