Expanding Global Strike Command with the Arrival of B-21 and Other Emergent Systems
Air Force Global Strike Command Prepares for Significant Personnel Expansion
The Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) is set to undergo a substantial transformation, with plans to significantly increase its personnel numbers to handle modernization and transition programs, including the B-21 Raiders, Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (GBSD), Grey Wolf MH-139 helicopter, and Survivable Airborne Operations Center.
The current force of approximately 31,000 active-duty personnel and 4,000 civilians is expected to grow significantly during the transition period, although the exact numbers are classified. Once the new capabilities are fielded, personnel requirements will stabilize at a permanently increased level compared to today.
The first B-21s will bed down with the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota. The second operating location will be with the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, and the third will be with the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess Air Force Base. The details of the succession plan for integrating B-21s into the existing fleet are classified.
The B-1s that depart Ellsworth will operate at Dyess "as long as that platform is viable." The transition of existing bombers with the new B-21 Raiders will cause the personnel numbers of AFGSC to remain higher than they are now, but will eventually come down.
The unique requirements of AFGSC's nuclear mission mean all of these transitions have to be seamless. The Sentinel program, which will relieve the Minuteman III, is expected to employ 2,000 to 3,000 contractors during the construction phase, with nearly 10,000 people supporting the program across the U.S., demonstrating the sizable manpower scale involved in these modernization efforts.
General Thomas A. Bussiere, the boss of Air Force Global Strike Command, revealed that the command's personnel numbers will expand significantly in the near future. Maintaining full operational capability while transitioning between existing and new weapon systems will be a key challenge. Despite the increase in personnel numbers, the AFGSC will remain a relatively small Air Force major command.
[1] Defense News, "Air Force Global Strike Command to significantly increase personnel numbers for modernization programs," 2021. [5] Breaking Defense, "Sentinel ICBM Program: 2,000-3,000 Contractors, 10,000 People in All," 2021.
- The Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) will increase its personnel numbers, not only for handling modernization programs like the B-21 Raiders, but also for space-related initiatives under the new Space Force.
- The expansion of the AFGSC will require a substantial investment in finance and aerospace industries, given the development and production of new weapons such as the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (GBSD) and the B-21 Raiders.
- The AFGSC's growth will necessitate the recruitment and training of a significant number of professionals, including those for the operation and maintenance of advanced bomber fleets and the Survivable Airborne Operations Center.
- As the AFGSC prepares for its significant personnel expansion, it must ensure the seamless integration of new weapons systems such as the B-21 Raiders, while also strategically planning for the eventual phase-out of existing bomber aircraft like the B-1.
