Air Force nuclear and cyber sites released

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- Potential sites for the U.S. Air Force's new Global Strike Command and the 24th Air Force were announced Wednesday.

Brig. Gen. James Kowalski, head of the recently activated provincial Global Strike Command, announced six possible permanent locations. The Global Strike Command, established to take responsibility of the Air Force's nuclear operations, is temporarily located at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C.

Kowalski said Air Force bases in Louisiana, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska and Missouri were under consideration for the new Global Strike Command.

Air Force officials also announced possible permanent locations for the 24th Air Force unit include Louisiana, Wyoming, Texas, Virginia, Nebraska, Colorado and Illinois. The 24th Air Force operates the Air Force's cyber missions.

Brig. Gen. Mark Schissler, Air Force cyber operations director, said the final decision on the permanent location of the 24th Air Force will depend on the proximity of the proposed air bases to other cyber operational missions, along with communications and bandwidth capacity.

"In basing the 24th Air Force, we recognize the tremendous preparatory work several states have already done, and we intend to use much of that information, but the mission will ultimately define the final location," Schissler said in a statement.

Selection of the permanent bases for the 24th Air Force and the Global Strike Command is expected to take place before July.