Orlando, Fla.—There is a “misperception” that there is no future for missileers in the service, but Air Force Global Strike Command boss Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson said that’s just not true. Speaking at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium here Thursday, Wilson pointed out that there are approximately 1,200 airmen who wear the missileer patch in the Air Force today (some 550 of whom are currently conducting the mission). In addition, there are 14 missile squadrons, three groups, and three wings, each with leadership opportunities. There also are “important jobs” for missileers on the US Strategic Command staff, the A-10 staff, and on AFGSC’s staff. Finally, there are 12 general officers currently serving in the Air Force who once were missileers, said Wilson. “There are opportunities for missileers in the Air Force. They can do some amazing things,” he noted.
The Air Force will look to the nation’s historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in a closed solicitation that will create the Air Force's first university-affiliated research center (UARC), Air Force leaders said. The center will study tactical autonomy. The DAF will select the center's location from one of 11…