Thank You to the Global Strike Command Team

  • Published
  • By Lt. Gen. Frank G. Klotz
  • Commander, Air Force Global Strike Command
On September 30, Air Force Global Strike Command achieved Full Operational
Capability... on time and on target!

Reaching this historic milestone would not have happened without each and
every one of you, the women and men of Global Strike Command. Your
professionalism, hard work and personal sacrifice allowed us to accomplish
what at first may have seemed nearly impossible.

In the 14 months following our formal activation as a major command on
August 7, 2009, we've built Global Strike Command in a methodical,
step-by-step process. Along the way, we've had to meet the urgent need to
create a model organization while continuing to provide safe, secure and
effective nuclear deterrence and global strike capabilities to the President
and Combatant Commanders around the world. It's been said that this task
was a lot like building an aircraft while actually having to fly it.

Achieving success has been a total team effort, with each and every member
of the Command playing an important and indispensable role. First on the
scene were the early pioneers who formed the Provisional Command in January
2009 at Bolling Air Force Base. Later that same year, hundreds of temporary
duty and permanent party members answered the call and made the journey to
Barksdale Air Force Base to stand up the permanent Headquarters. Next to
join the team were the operators, maintainers, security forces and support
Airmen of 20th Air Force and 8th Air Force who relentlessly performed their
enduring missions while becoming an integral part of a new major
command...their very own major command. And, throughout the process, the
communities around our bases continued to offer steadfast, magnificent
support to our Airmen and their families.

Thank you one and all for what you have done to bring us to this historic
moment. By reaching Full Operational Capability, we've kept our promise to
our senior leaders to deliver a full-up major command that aligns all Air
Force long-range, nuclear capable forces under a single chain-of-command,
with a special trust and responsibility for the most powerful weapons in our
Nation's arsenal.