AFGSC activation ceremony to be held Aug. 7 Published July 31, 2009 WASHINGTON -- The Secretary of the Air Force, the honorable Michael B. Donley, and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General Norton A. Schwartz, have officially announced the Air Force Global Strike Command Activation Ceremony will take place Aug. 7, at Barksdale Air Force Base, La. The ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. in Barksdale's Hoban Hall, and General Schwartz will preside over the ceremony. All official invites have been distributed; additional access to the ceremony will be limited to Department of Defense identification cardholders with access to Barksdale AFB. Seating will be on a first come first serve basis. Lt. Gen. Frank G. Klotz will assume command of the Air Force's newest major command, taking responsibility for organizing, training and equipping Airmen for nuclear deterrence and global strike operations. The command's mission will stretch across five Air Force bases and will include three major operational weapon systems. "Air Force Global Strike Command, the Air Force's first major command to be established without direct lineage to another mission in 27 years, was created by the Air Force leadership as a single command structure for nuclear deterrence and global strike missions as the cornerstone organizational change in the Air Forces Nuclear "Roadmap."