Global Strike Commander Says Legacy U.S. Nuclear Forces Remain Ready
The United States’ land-based strategic deterrent remains credible and reliable as it undergoes a once-in-a-generation modernization, U.S. Air Force Gen. S.L. Davis told the North Dakota Nuclear Triad Symposium in April 2026. “No sister service, Ally or partner, possesses ICBMs [intercontinental ballistic missiles] or long-range bombers. We are it, and readiness is key to that combat capability,” said Davis, commander of U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command, according to the Minot Daily News newspaper.
The U.S. Department of War has made nuclear triad modernization a priority. In addition to ICBMs and strategic bombers, it includes sea-based ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs). The next generation programs in various stages of production — B 21 Raider stealth bomber, LGM 35A Sentinel ICBM and Columbia class SSBN — anchor this transformation. The strategic environment gives urgency to those efforts. “The United States confronts the challenge of deterring a rapidly expanding China and a resurgent Russia while managing persistent threats from North Korea and Iran,” Davis said, according to a video of his address.
Minot Air Force Base (AFB) is the home of the 91st Missile Wing, which operates Minuteman III ICBM sites, and the 5th Bomb Wing, which flies the B 52H. Minot AFB is the only installation in the U.S. Air Force that is home to two legs of the nuclear triad, according to the base’s website.
“The long-range nuclear and conventional strike capability uniquely provided by this command and these wings underpin every operational plan in the Department of War and assures our Allies across the globe,” Davis said, according to Minot Daily News.
To highlight that capability, Davis highlighted several bomber missions from the past year. These operations, he said, demonstrate not only the reach and precision of U.S. airpower but also the readiness of the Airmen who carry them out.
Operation Rough Rider: From March to May 2025, the campaign targeted the Houthi terrorist organization to restore freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and deter attacks on commercial shipping. “We deployed B-2s to Diego Garcia for the first time in the history of that platform to conduct operations in Yemen,” Davis said, according to the Daily News. Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean hosts a strategic United Kingdom-U.S. military installation.
Operation Midnight Hammer: In June 2025, a mission targeting Iranian nuclear sites demonstrated the global range of the B 2 Spirit bomber. “We took seven B-2s from Whiteman Air Force Base [Missouri], flew them around the globe to strike in the heart of Iran, completely undetected not only by Iran but by other adversaries that were watching and looking for that activity,” Davis said.
Operation Absolute Resolve: During the law enforcement operation to apprehend Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, B 1s conducted opening strikes in support of the helicopter assault force. The original plan did not include the bombers, but mission leaders later called on them, Davis said.
Operation Epic Fury: For eight days, B 1, B 2 and B 52 aircraft conducted nonstop missions from the U.S. to Iran before moving — except for the B 2s — to the U.K.’s Royal Air Force Fairford. In total, aircrews flew more than 160 missions, including 32 CONUS to CONUS (Continental U.S.) flights. Missions from Fairford ran about 20 hours each, while the CONUS flights often exceeded 40 hours, Davis said, according to the Minot Daily News.
- This article was published by Sentry
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