Global Security Newswire

The U.S. Air Force has elected to house its new Global Strike Command, responsible for the nation's nuclear bombers and missiles, at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., the service announced yesterday (see GSN, Jan. 22).

The new command was recommended last year by a major review of Air Force nuclear management practices that was spurred by a series of embarrassing security lapses. Air Force officials considered six possible sites and chose Barksdale primarily because of its "ability to provide significant nuclear mission synergy," according to a release (U.S. Air Force release, April 2).

U.S. Representative John Fleming (R-La.) praised the decision, in part for bringing new jobs to an economically ravaged state, while Senator Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) criticized the Air Force for not selecting a base in his state.

The service "made a huge mistake," Nelson said. "The Air Force has missed an opportunity to send the message that our nuclear deterrence missions are a priority" (Ben Evans, Associated Press/Google News, April 2).