Barksdale AFB to house Global Strike Command

The Air Force said today it has chosen Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana to house a major new command for managing its nuclear arsenal, a decision that could create some 900 jobs in a state still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. Louisiana beat out five other states for the Global Strike Command, which will oversee U.S. nuclear equipped bombers—the B-2s and B-52s—as well as intercontinental ballistic missiles. The Pentagon created the new command last year after several missteps in the handling of its most sensitive materials, including the cross-country flight of a B-52 that was mistakenly armed with six nuclear-tipped cruise missiles without the crew’s knowledge. Among other things, the Global Strike Command will be responsible for stepping up inspections and creating better tracking systems. Louisiana lawmakers lobbied hard for Barksdale calling the base a good match because it is among the largest in the U.S. and already is home to long-range weapons systems, including B-52s.