New weapons facility at Barksdale could provide major boost for the area

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    Bossier City, LA (KTBS) — Over the next couple of years you will be hearing a lot about the Weapons Generation Facility, also known as the WGF, at Barksdale Air Force Base.

“It’s changed into a new type of project where we will actually assemble the weapons here. Barksdale is the ideal place to have it,” said Congressman Mike Johnson.

“This new facility will take the place of the special weapons facility that was out there,” said Murray Viser of Barksdale Forward Inc.

That old facility at Barksdale was decertified about 8 years ago because of age and personnel issues, according to Viser.

The new facility would support B-52 missions. What the facility would look like or what it’s going to be doing exactly is classified. Barksdale’s Public Affairs Office at Barksdale said it was unable to provide additional information.

“A hopeful eye is focused on 2022, when the trigger may be pulled on a $170-225 million dollar weapons facility at Barksdale Air Force Base,” economist Loren Scott said in a recent report about Louisiana’s economy.

“As far as what it’s going to mean for the economy and the area, they have not signed a contract yet so it’s hard to understand exactly how many personnel were going to be talking about or exactly what the cost of the facility is going to be,” said Viser.

“The Department of Defense has had to re-evaluate a lot of things over the past year for a lot of reasons. But the Weapons Generation Facility is going to generate a lot of jobs here for our area. It will bring really well trained high tech jobs and positions here,” said Johnson.

But before that can happen the Interstate 220 extension project needs to be completed. It will lead to a new east gate for the military base. It’s supposed to be done by next summer, said Johnson.

Once done, it’s likely more people will become familiar with the letters W-G-F.

“The latest that we are told, because we get progress reports routinely, is that it’s on track … that the Weapons Generation Facility is coming to Barksdale,” said Johnson.

Johnson also said having this facility at Barksdale would just add to what he calls the “Cyber Corridor,” adding to the high tech jobs already located near I-20 such as the Cyber Innovation Center, Bossier Parish Community College, Louisiana Tech and Barksdale’s Global Strike Command.

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