Gen. Thomas A. Bussiere announced on September 30 that he will request retirement for personal and family reasons after leading Air Force Global Strike Command since December 2022. Defense officials confirm a change-of-command ceremony on October 17 will hand control to Lt. Gen. Stephen L. Davis, who the Senate confirmed in July for the post.
Bussiere’s message thanked the force and noted his intent to keep serving the community after uniformed duty. The command attributed the notice to a social media post released late Tuesday and quoted his phrase “request retirement from the United States Air Force for personal and family reasons.”
He entered AFGSC leadership in December 2022 and has overseen the bomber force and intercontinental ballistic missile enterprise since then. Service records list more than 3,400 flight hours and command pilot time in the F-15C, B-2A, B-1B, F-22, and T-38, along with prior commands including Eighth Air Force and Alaskan Command. He commissioned in 1985 through ROTC at Norwich University.
Change of Command Date and Senate Confirmation
The Oct. 17 event is on the command’s schedule, and officials say the ceremony will mark the handover to Davis. The date falls inside the last five weeks and aligns with congressional records that show Davis’ confirmation over the summer.
Public descriptions of the Sept. 30 post include Bussiere’s wording on retirement and his closing thanks. Industry reporting traced the sequence from the withdrawn vice chief nomination to the later action that named Gen Kenneth S. Wilsbach for chief of staff.
Leadership Shuffle in Washington
The retirement notice follows a fast run of nominations and withdrawals at the top of the Air Force. In mid-July, the White House nominated Bussiere for vice chief of staff. In early September, that nomination was withdrawn without a public explanation. The month closed with a separate nomination that put Wilsbach forward to become the next chief of staff, replacing Gen David Allvin, who announced in August he would retire this autumn.
The immediate effect at Barksdale remains continuity during the change. Officials point to a straightforward handover on Oct. 17 that keeps nuclear operations steady under new leadership.
Mission Handover B-21 Testing and Sentinel Reset
AFGSC places Davis over two legs of the nuclear triad, the long-range bomber fleet and the land-based ICBM force, plus conventional global-strike duties. Day-one work includes keeping B-21 Raider flight test on track and steering Sentinel’s ground-infrastructure reset.
The B-21 test campaign expanded in September when a second test aircraft arrived at Edwards Air Force Base to join developmental flying. Program updates state the added jet broadens mission-systems testing and weapons work. Those events began under Bussiere and continue through the transition.
On the ICBM side, Sentinel planning shifted this year toward building new silos at Air Force-owned sites rather than refurbishing most Minuteman III launchers. Officials briefed that change in May and linked it to cost, schedule, and technical findings from early work. A recent GAO review underscored cost growth and delay pressure and noted the service must sustain the Minuteman III inventory during the changeover.
Congressional interest centers on construction pacing across the missile wings and the engineering and environmental documentation that runs into 2027. The Sentinel program office has moved to lock down facility needs under a broader restructure. According to industry sources, early emphasis now falls on test capacity, site preparation milestones, and trained crews for security and maintenance.
Stephen L. Davis Background and Current Status
Davis serves as the Department of the Air Force Inspector General. The administration nominated him on July 18 for promotion to general and assignment as AFGSC commander, and the Senate confirmed the nomination by voice vote on July 31. Earlier assignments include command of the 91st Missile Wing at Minot, which aligns with AFGSC’s ICBM mission.
Department flag-officer notices listed Davis for AFGSC and for the Air Forces Strategic-Air component under U.S. Strategic Command at Barksdale. That dual-hat arrangement is standard for this billet. Defense officials confirm the command plans an Oct. 17 change at Barksdale, with Davis set to assume both roles at the ceremony.
Inspector General duties placed Davis on the oversight side of readiness, compliance, and safety across the Air and Space Forces. That vantage point, paired with prior missile-wing command, gives him an operational and inspection record that covers nuclear surety, security, and infrastructure.
What changes next inside AFGSC
Program work will focus on B-21 test throughput, Sentinel site and launch-center baselines, and Minuteman sustainment overlapped with early Sentinel fielding. Directorate leads have already started refining facility requirements and construction pacing. Defense officials confirm near-term targets are test flights, site surveys, and steady support to units that carry nuclear alert.
Bussiere’s remarks acknowledged the honor of serving and thanked those who supported him through his nomination period earlier this year. He closed by pointing to continued support for the force and its mission. Our analysis shows the handover gives AFGSC a leader with missile-wing command experience and enterprise oversight credentials at a moment when bomber testing and ICBM recapitalization both demand tight control of schedules and documentation.
REFERENCE SOURCES
- https://breakingdefense.com/2025/10/air-force-global-strike-chief-bussiere-to-retire/
- https://www.airandspaceforces.com/bussiere-retire-vice-chief-nomination-withdrawn/
- https://www.congress.gov/nomination/119th-congress/402
- https://aviationweek.com/defense/budget-policy-operations/us-air-force-vice-nominee-pulled-adding-leadership-uncertainty
- https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4319090/gen-kenneth-wilsbach-nominated-as-24th-air-force-chief-of-staff/
- https://www.militarytimes.com/air/2025/07/18/white-house-taps-global-strike-head-as-next-air-force-vice-chief/
- https://www.airandspaceforces.com/air-force-inspector-general-tapped-to-lead-global-strike-command/
- https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/article/108798/thomas-a-bussiere/
- https://www.afgsc.af.mil/About/Leadership/Biographies/Display/Article/3239983/thomas-a-bussiere/
- https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4301502/us-air-force-announces-arrival-of-second-b-21-test-aircraft-at-edwards-afb/
- https://www.edwards.af.mil/News/Display/Article/4303045/2nd-b-21-expands-412th-test-capabilities/
- https://breakingdefense.com/2025/05/air-force-now-expects-sentinel-icbms-will-predominantly-need-new-silos/
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- https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-25-108466.pdf
- https://www.exchangemonitor.com/air-force-preparing-supplemental-eis-for-sentinel-scraps-3-town-halls/
- https://www.defensedaily.com/usaf-wants-to-solidify-requirements-for-sentinel-silos-and-launch-centers/air-force/
- https://www.war.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/4249504/secretary-of-defense-general-and-flag-officer-announcements-for-july-18-2025/
- https://www.militarytimes.com/air/2025/09/30/gen-wilsbach-tapped-to-replace-allvin-as-air-force-chief/
- https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/18/air-force-chief-alvinn-steps-down-00513612
