Interview

Lt. Gen. Frank Klotz, USAF – The First Commander of Air Force Global Strike Command

Written by: John D. Gresham on August 20, 2009
Categories: Aerospace, Interviews
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USAF photo by Scott Ash.

The last few years have been tough ones for the airmen assigned to sustain the nuclear-armed bombers and missiles of the U.S. Air Force (USAF). Several well-publicized incidents involving mishandling of nuclear weapons and components have resulted in several in-depth reviews, along with the firing of both the Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff in 2008. Among the recommendations of the reviews was the establishment of a centralized USAF command authority, so that the safety, security, and stewardship of the American land-based nuclear arsenal will be assured, today and in the decades that follow.

The first step on the road to rebuilding the trust of the nation in the USAF to fulfill those goals is taking place presently, with the establishment of the Air Force Global Strike Command. Having “stood up” on Aug. 7, 2009, Global Strike Command is responsible for the U.S. force of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and strategic bombers, along with the warheads and gravity bombs that arm them. Heading this new command is a career USAF “missileer,” Lt. Gen. Frank Klotz, USAF. Klotz is a second-generation airman, USAF Academy graduate, Rhodes Scholar, and arms control specialist, and has been a leader of USAF missile forces at every level of command. He recently sat down with The Year in Defense to talk about his new duties.

The Year in Defense: You have a very interesting resume. What led you to the Air Force Academy, Oxford Universality, and then command of strategic nuclear missiles? That’s quite a career.

Lt. Gen. Frank Klotz – I was actually born into the Air Force, and have been a part of it ever since, with no “breaks in service.” My dad was an Air Force pilot, and had the opportunity to fly multiple types of aircraft – bombers, transports, fighters…the F-86 and the F-100. As a result of that experience, I became very attracted to the Air Force, its mission, its people, and its lifestyle; particularly the opportunity to move every couple of years and see different parts of our country and the world. At one point, my dad was assigned at the headquarters of the Aerospace Defense Command in Colorado Springs, where I spent two years at Air Academy High School, which is actually located on the grounds of the Air Force Academy.

So, I already knew a lot about the Air Force Academy. I was attracted by its academic program, which had a very strong reputation then and continues to have a very strong reputation today. It also has a very broad-based core curriculum, while at the same time it gives you an opportunity to major in a field of particular interest. I was also attracted by its sports and physical fitness programs, as well as its character and leadership development program. In fact, my most formative experience at the Academy was serving as Chairman of the Cadet Honor Committee during my final year.

That sounds like an interesting position.

The role of the Honor Committee is to provide instruction on the Cadet Honor Code, which says, “We will not lie, cheat or steal, nor tolerate among us anyone who does.” Training is provided to new cadets during their first summer, as well as to all cadets during the entire four years. But there is also another side of it. If there is a suspected breach of the honor code, it becomes the responsibility of the members of the Honor Committee to investigate that, and if warranted, to hold a hearing.

Would I be correct in assuming that you were at the Academy when Gen. Robin Olds was running the school? He was a rather impressive individual.

Gen. Olds was the Commandant of Cadets during my first year at the Air Force Academy. I entered into the Academy in 1969, at the height of the Vietnam War. On the Academy staff we had many officers and NCOs who had just come back from Southeast Asia and were able to share their experiences with us as cadets. This included Gen. Olds, who made an extraordinary, lasting impression on all of us as a great airman and combat leader.

What made you want to be a “missileer?”

I attended Oxford University immediately following graduation from the Air Force Academy. There I had the great fortune to study under some of the legends in the fields of strategic studies and in nuclear deterrence theory: Alistair Buchan, who was one of the founders of the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London; Sir Michael Howard, who is the world’s preeminent authority on Clausewitz as well as just about every other aspect of military history; and Sir Lawrence Freedman, who was my thesis advisor and another expert in the field of deterrence. In fact, his book, The Evolution of Nuclear Strategy, is still perhaps the best and most important work in this field. That’s the academic foundation for my working this area. When I left graduate school, I came to the Pentagon to serve on the Air Staff and worked in the area of concept and doctrine development, focusing on nuclear strategy and nuclear arms control.