Leader of Global Strike Command to lead symposium

  • Published
  • By Catherine McNally
  • Hilltop Times staff
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah --  The Utah Air Force Association's 31st annual Focus on Defense symposium and two-day golf tournament is set to take place June 16-18. The symposium will be June 16 at the Ogden Eccles Conference Center and the golf tournament will be played June 17 and 18 on local courses.

This year's theme is "Stand up of Global Strike Command -- An Air Force Opportunity," which focuses on the Air Force's newest command, Air Force Global Strike Command. The new organization's first commander, Lt. Gen. Frank Klotz of Barksdale Air Force Base, La., will be one of the speakers.

"Lt. Gen, Frank D. Klotz will hopefully provide some insight into the challenges that his command has faced to date and what they see coming up in the near future, as well as the long-term approach to ensuring the viability of global strike," said Wally Saeger, Focus on Defense chairman.

"Few people have the opportunity to attend an event like this in their own backyard and hear the commander of a major command address some very pressing issues that have a direct impact on how we do a vital mission at Ogden Air Logistics Center," Saeger said.

Along with the general, various other speakers will be present at the symposium to talk about the stand up of Global Strike Command and what it means for the Air Force, as well as answering questions from attendees.

"We have a number of other speakers who have a vested interest in Global Strike Command and what it means to the Air Force," said (Ret.) Gen. Kevin Sullivan, 2010 AFA symposium chairman and OO-ALC commander from 2003 to 2007.

Other symposium speakers include: Gen. Kevin Chilton, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb.; Lt. Gen. Loren Reno, deputy chief of staff for logistics, installations and mission support, U.S. Air Force headquarters, Washington D.C.; Maj. Gen. Judith Fedder, director of logistics, Air Combat Command headquarters, Langley AFB, Va.; Dennis Muilenburg, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space and Security, St. Louis, Mo.; Robert Hinson, vice president of government programs and corporate lead executive, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Omaha, Neb.

Muilenburg and Hinson will represent Boeing Defense and Northrop Grumman, respectively, both of which are associated with Global Strike Command. Boeing manufactured the B-52 Stratofortress, Northrop Grumman manufactured the B-2 Spirit, and both Boeing and Northrop Grumman have participated in the development and production of components and upgrades for the Minuteman III ICBM, all of which are a part of Global Strike Command's arsenal.

Though Global Strike Command isn't directly tied to logistics and the mission of the Ogden Air Logistics Center and Hill, Saeger and Sullivan hope that certain speakers will give the symposium a logistics twist.

"We try to keep a logistics flavor for this conference. The theme -- Stand Up of Global Strike Command -- isn't necessarily a logistics theme but we try to keep a logistics flavor associated with that theme," Sullivan said. "That's why we're inviting General Reno as the head logistician, and he can talk to us about what this means from a logistics standpoint."

"It kind of ties it back to Hill and our mission here, which is logistics as well," said Mark McLeod, Hill's liaison for Focus on Defense.

Other topics that Saeger believes will be of major interest to attendees are "the recent revelation of the size of the U.S. nuclear stockpile and whether this will change how much other information will be unclassified in the future" and "how are we doing in revitalizing the nuclear enterprise."

"... The emphasis on nuclear surety and the recent revelation of the size of our nuclear stockpile (something I never expected considering it was considered classified to even acknowledge the presence of nuclear weapons at a particular location) has placed the mission of Global Strike Command at the forefront these days," Saeger continued. "(Klotz's) perspective on recent events and the future will be revealing."

During the symposium, each guest speaker will be given time to talk about topics and issues that concern their field of expertise and how they foresee the future of the Air Force, and then the floor will be opened up for questions.

Questions will be written down during each speaker's presentation and collected by Mike Dunn, AFA president, who will then select which ones are of most interest to the audience and present them to the speakers, Sullivan said.

The symposium will also acknowledge Team Hill Bronze Star recipients, Utah Outstanding Teacher of the Year award winners, and the CyberPatriot II cyber warfare competition winners from the Clearfield High School junior Reserve Officers Training Corps. "The AFA themselves sponsor 50 top performers from the base," Sullivan added. "Those are military and civilian employees that are nominated by their organizations."

Following the symposium there will be a salmon barbecue, as well as a two-day charity golf tournament held at Hubbard Memorial Golf Course, Hill AFB, and Glen Eagle Golf Course, Syracuse, featuring a mid-course correction party and awards banquet.

The price for Department of Defense civilians and active duty military is $40 for the symposium only.

For more information, prices, and registration for the symposium or the golf tournament please visit the AFA Focus on Defense Web site at www.afafod.org or call Mark McLeod at (801) 586-0562.