Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz on Wednesday opened the first Air Force Global Strike Command commander’s conference, a three-day event at Barksdale AFB, La., home to the new major command that oversees the nation’s ICBMs and nuclear-capable bombers. “This is a tough business, with a margin of error near zero,” he told the participants via a video teleconference link. Schwartz said the Air Force senior leaders’ commitment to nuclear deterrence and global strike is “not a flash in the pan,” but rather will endure. Schwartz said the Air Force’s rigorous inspections of its nuclear units are “not to give people a hard time or to make life difficult, but to maintain standards.” Those standards are kept very high to maintain mission excellence. The conference features speakers on the heritage, professional development, and issues facing the bomber and missile wings. (Barksdale release)
Air Force Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost—a trailblazer and one of the first 10 women to reach a four-star rank across the U.S. military—retired and passed control of U.S. Transportation Command to Air Force Gen. Randall Reed on Oct. 4, finishing an eventful tenure at TRANSCOM.