Air Force Global Strike Command leaders release command's mission, vision

BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. (AFNS) -- Air Force Global Strike Command officials gathered to zero-in on the organization's course, as well as review and discuss guidance from national leaders regarding the creation, stand-up and objectives for the command Oct. 15 through 17 near the National Military Park in Vicksburg, Miss.

Facilitating the working sessions was retired Gen. Gregory S. Martin, former commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and former commander of Air Force Materiel Command, and the AFGSC officials focused on producing a command mission and vision as a guide to global strike Airmen about where the new command is heading.

The mission statement establishes every AFGSC Airman's required focus: "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."

The command's top leader said all AFGSC Airmen need to be aware of this objective.

"The 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," said Lt. Gen. Frank G. Klotz, the AFGSC commander. "Each person in the command is important -- all of our Airmen: active-duty, Guard and Reserve; our Department of Defense civilians and contractors."

The importance of individuals and their mission is highlighted in the new vision statement: "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."

The official Air Force Global Strike Command mission and vision mark another organizational milestone for the command as it readies itself to assume the nation's intercontinental ballistic missile mission Dec. 1 and nuclear-capable B-52 Stratofortress and B-2 Spirit bomber forces Feb. 1.

To guide that elite, highly disciplined team, the command is presently reviewing and updating every document that governs the AFGSC mission -- instructions, supplements, etc. -- to make sure they are current, applicable to the mission and credible.

"We're going to build a culture of compliance and be a model Air Force command," said Maj. Gen. James M. Kowalski, the AFGSC vice commander. "We expect compliance with every technical order and every checklist, which means the command has the responsibility to make sure we're giving the field smart guidance. We're keenly aware of the responsibility of a headquarters to clearly communicate both the instructions by which the field operates, and the standards of performance by which they will be measured. Our only success as a headquarters comes when our units succeed in their missions."