AFNWC celebrates 20 years of innovation, integration

  • Published
  • By Aimee Malone
  • Air Force Nuclear Weapons
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center marks 20 years on March 31 of ensuring the nation’s most powerful weapon systems are “never doubted, always feared.”

“For the past 20 years, AFNWC has bolstered U.S. strategic deterrence by acquiring, sustaining, integrating and modernizing the nuclear capabilities our operators use every day to deter our adversaries and assure our allies and partners,” said Brig. Gen. William Rogers, interim commander of AFNWC. “When the center stood up, the responsibility and materiel management for these systems was dispersed throughout the Air Force. Today, our operators have a single organization dedicated to making sure our legacy systems still function as intended and our new weapon systems will meet their needs.”

The center synchronizes all aspects of nuclear materiel management on behalf of Air Force Materiel Command and in direct support of Air Force Global Strike Command. It is responsible for the sustainment of legacy weapon systems, some of which first became operational in the 1960s. It is also responsible for the acquisition programs to modernize and replace those legacy weapon systems and their support systems. These modernization programs include the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile; Long Range Standoff cruise missile; variants of the B61 nuclear gravity bomb; many nuclear command, control and communications systems; and weapons generation facilities.

On March 31, 2006, AFNWC was activated at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico.

At the time of its activation, then Col. Greg Foraker, AFNWC’s first commander, said Kirtland was a natural place to locate the newest member of the nuclear community, since the base had been at the heart of nuclear activities for over 60 years at that point.

For example, one of the center’s predecessors, the Special Weapons Command, stood up in 1949 at Kirtland AFB. It directed specialized organizations dealing with atomic bombs and other unconventional weapons.

This command was later renamed the Air Force Special Weapons Center. During the 1950s and early 1960s, AFSWC personnel and aircraft participated in atmospheric nuclear tests in Nevada and the far Pacific. These included the first air drop of a U.S. thermonuclear weapon and the firing of the first air-to-air nuclear missile. In all, the Air Force Special Weapons Center was involved in more than 300 atmospheric nuclear tests in the Pacific and the test range in Nevada.

After AFSWC’s inactivation in 1976, nuclear acquisition and sustainment responsibilities were spread throughout several Air Force organizations.

In March 2006, the Air Force established AFNWC under Air Force Materiel Command to bridge the gap that had formed between the acquisition of nuclear weapons versus their sustainment in the field.

The Nuclear Command, Control and Communications (NC3) Integration Directorate is responsible for unifying oversight of NC3 systems across the Air Force. The directorate was stood up in 2015 and drove the designation of NC3 as an official weapon system, the AN/USQ.225, and the publication of Air Force Instruction 13-550, “Air Force Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3).”

The center’s Air Delivered Capabilities Directorate is responsible for delivering, sustaining and supporting air-delivered nuclear weapon systems. These programs include the Air-Launched Cruise Missile and its future replacement, the modern Long Range Standoff cruise missile.

This directorate led the integration of programmatic and technical elements of the Air Force/National Nuclear Security Administration B61-12 Life Extension Programs. The center was responsible for the B61-12’s tail-kit assembly, which provided critical precision guidance and increased effectiveness for this variant of the B61.

It was also central to the success of the B61-13, a new variant of the B61, which leveraged the B61-12’s modern safety, security and accuracy features with increased yield to strengthen attacks against hardened and large-area targets. The B61-13 was delivered ahead of schedule in 2025.

Since 2016, AFNWC has managed the design and construction of weapons generation facilities for Air Force Global Strike Command. In 2025, the center’s Program Management and Integration Directorate announced a new program office for its WGF efforts. This new office ensures WGFs are an Air Force-level requirement and do not have to compete with local installation projects for priority funding.

The Nuclear Technology and Integration Directorate is responsible for providing intelligence support to AFNWC, analyzing the full spectrum of weapons effects to support acquisition programs and inform tactics and procedures, and assessing current and future nuclear systems to identify and mitigate potential vulnerabilities. The directorate is also responsible for managing the Air Force's Nuclear Certification Program and leading the capability development initiatives for all pre-Milestone A/B activities within the center.

The ICBM Systems Directorate is responsible for modernization and sustainment of ICBMs and their associated weapon system command and control, flight and launch systems, missile silos, and other ground infrastructure, including missile silos.

For example, its personnel assist in multiple test launches of the Minuteman III ICBM each year; the most recent test was completed March 3. These tests evaluate the ongoing reliability, operational readiness and accuracy of the ICBM system, a cornerstone of America's national defense.

In 2025, the directorate completed a full-scale qualification test of the stage-two solid rocket motor for the Sentinel ICBM, the future replacement for the Minuteman III ICBM. This test marked a critical milestone in the center’s ongoing effort to modernize the nation’s land-based nuclear deterrent.

“The AFNWC team has a long history of success,” Rogers said. “I have no doubt we will continue to innovate and evolve while delivering safe, secure and effective nuclear capabilities to our operators.”

Today, the center has 2,300 authorized military and civilian positions assigned at 20 locations worldwide. In addition, AFNWC has consistently won several notable awards over the past two decades. For example, it has received the Air and Space Organizational Excellence Award (previously called the Organizational Excellence Award) 11 times, and its personnel frequently earn AFMC-, Air Force- and Department of War-level awards.

Of note, AFNWC’s 20th anniversary year coincides with the 250th birthday of the United States and continues a proud heritage of Air Force service to the nation while safeguarding freedom.

For more on AFNWC and its history, see https://www.afnwc.af.mil/About-Us/.