Brian Bradley
NS&D Monitor
3/6/2015
President Barack Obama has nominated Gen. Robin Rand for commander of Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC), a post currently held by Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson, according to a Feb. 27 announcement by Defense Secretary Ashton Carter. Rand has more than 5,000 flight hours, primarily in F-16s, T-38s and T-37s, and would be the first four-star general to lead the command since its creation in 2009. Rand currently commands Air Education and Training Command at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, where he is responsible for the recruiting, training and education of Air Force personnel.
Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel in November announced a batch of reforms aimed at reinvigorating the nuclear enterprise after officers and reviews noted numerous morale issues and equipment flaws. Among Hagel’s declared initiatives was boosting the rank requirement for the Global Strike Command chief from a three- to a four-star billet. The Air Force has not announced Wilson’s next assignment. Wilson has served in his current position since October 2013, after working as commander of the Eighth Air Force from June 2011 until starting at AFGSC. It is unclear when Congress will confirm Rand.
Concerns and Compliments
Members of the nuclear community have expressed concerns about Rand’s lack of experience in the nuclear enterprise, according to stakeholders. While Wilson has more than a decade of bomber experience, Rand has no history working missions with bombers or intercontinental ballistic missiles. One industry official told NS&D Monitor that the announced change has concerned defense contractors. “Do you put a totally unqualified person in as commander of the Air Force’s number one priority, unless you intend for him to slow down or kill the need for strategic nuclear weapon system modernization?” the official said. Industry executives previously expressed favor for Wilson, who they said championed prospective nuclear triad projects such as re-engining the B-52 bomber. The Air Force in October released a Request for Information for the project, which could result in a down-select to four fuel-efficient engines, from the eight the aircraft currently employs. Another nuclear enterprise stakeholder said to NS&D Monitor that people will be naturally skeptical. “And certainly you want somebody who’s got [a nuclear] background,” the stakeholder said.
Other sentiments indicate confidence in Rand. Mark Jantzer, the chair of Minot Task Force 21, told NS&D Monitor that because of Rand’s absence from nuclear forces, he could bring fresh eyes and brainstorm new approaches to operations at Minot AFB, which is the only Air Force base that maintains both bombers (B-52s) and ICBMs. Jantzer met Rand at a Nuclear Oversight Board meeting at Minot AFB earlier this month, and said he seemed like a “fine man.” Jantzer said he was encouraged by colleagues who told him Rand is a “good leader, good thinker, willing to listen, keeps the big picture in mind—the type of thing that you would hope to find in somebody that’s leading the charge, creating the vision and trying to get people to execute it.”
David Weissman, chair of the Montana Defense Alliance, told NS&D Monitor that he never met Rand, but said he was especially encouraged by Rand’s ability to get things done in Congress, pointing to his assignment as a Congressional liaison in the Pentagon from 2009 to 2011. “We feel very positive about General Rand coming in,” Weissman said. “We feel even more positive about Global Strike Command becoming a four-star billet. It’s absolutely necessary and plays right back into that number-one priority in DoD right now, being the nuclear enterprise.”
AFGSC Director of Ops to Become Vice Commander
Maj. Gen. Michael Fortney, currently AFGSC Director of Operations, has been nominated to be the command’s next Vice Commander, command spokeswoman Carla Pampe confirmed this week. The Air Force has tapped current AFGSC Vice Commander Maj. Gen. Richard Clark for a dual reassignment to be commander of the 8th Air Force and commander of the Joint Functional Component Command at Barksdale AFB. Fortney will bring about 27 years of experience in the nuclear enterprise—mostly with ICBMs—to his next position. Weissman said he was familiar with Fortney from his 2008-2010 assignment as commander of Malmstrom’s 341st Missile Wing, and he said his ICBM knowledge will help Rand lead. “General Fortney is a strong advocate for the mission,” Weissman said. “We just feel very strongly about him being in that position. He’s a good guy.”
