The U.S. Air Force on Sunday completed the transfer of several nuclear-weapon oversight staffers to Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri and established a new munitions squadron at the installation (see GSN, Sept. 15).
The headquarters personnel for the 498th Munitions Maintenance Group are set to continue overseeing the 898th Munitions Squadron and 708th Nuclear Sustainment Squadron at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, the group's previous home base. In addition, the group took charge of the Whiteman air base's new 19th Munitions Squadron, which was formally established on Sunday.
The shifts, carried out under the Air Force Materiel Command, added roughly one dozen staffers to the Missouri site.
"These changes are among several, including the creation of the Air Force Global Strike Command, that provide the Air Force a streamlined capability which enables greater readiness. Our nuclear arsenal is the ultimate backstop of our nation's strategic defense and these units ensure Whiteman is prepared and ready for this responsibility," Gen. William Fraser, head of the Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, said in a press release.
"[Air Force Materiel Command] and [Air Combat Command] are critical partners in providing our nation's leaders with the ultimate strategic deterrent. That's why this mission is so important, and why perfection is the only acceptable standard. Everyone in these organizations has a personal and professional stake in making sure the work is done right the first time, every time. Working together, we make it happen," Gen. Donald Hoffman, Air Force Materiel Command chief at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, added in the statement.
The 498th Munitions Maintenance Group is overseen by the 498th Nuclear Systems Wing, which answers to the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center headquartered at Kirtland (U.S. Air Force release, Oct. 26).