Nebraska’s Offutt Air Force Base gets new 95th Wing next year

BELLEVUE — The Air Force confirmed Tuesday that a reimagined 95th Wing will be headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base.

Nebraska’s congressional delegation had announced the plan in August. The creation of the new command structure will add about 70 people to Offutt in 2025, the delegation said. The Air Force has said it expects the new wing to be fully operational in 2027. 

What’s in the wing

The new wing will include active duty elements of the 595th Command & Control Group based at Offutt, which flies mobile command post jets, E-4Bs, and replace them with E-4Cs.

It adds reserves from the 610th Command and Control Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona and missile-command Air National Guard units from Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming.

The new wing will bring the three units together into a clearer chain of command under a single commander and advocate, Col. David Leaumont, the 95th Wing’s provisional commander, said in October. 

Delegation pleased

U.S. Sens. Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts and U.S. Reps. Don Bacon, Mike Flood and Adrian Smith celebrated the confirmation and its potential impact in a joint statement.

Fischer, who will chair the Senate Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on strategic forces, said the decision centers nuclear command and control functions where it belongs.

She called Offutt the “center of gravity” for such missions. “Nebraska is proud of our leading role in America’s national defense,” Fischer said.

Ricketts, who worked on the effort with the delegation as governor, said he was pleased to see Offutt “continue to play a critical role in ensuring America’s strategic deterrence.” 

Bacon, a retired Air Force brigadier general who led the Offutt-based 55th Wing before serving in the House, called the new wing the “culmination of years of hard work.” 

Flood, who represents Offutt and the 1st Congressional District, highlighted the economic importance of increasing the number of national security roles being filled there.

He praised the collaborative efforts of state and local governments, Nebraska business leaders and current and former members of Congress who have prioritized the base’s future.

“Thank you to the Air Force for their ongoing commitment to Offutt and Sarpy County,” Flood said. “I am looking forward to welcoming the new 95th Wing to Nebraska.”

Smith, who represents a rural district that includes some service members at Offutt, praised the decision.

He said the global security environment had made “strategic readiness” more important. He said he was happy to help Offutt keep meeting intensifying demands for “command and control.”