Air Force says resignation won't affect cyber command decision

WASHINGTON -- The sudden resignation Monday of William Anderson, the Air Force's assistant secretary for installations, will not result in another delay in the decision on where to locate the new cyber command headquarters, an Air Force spokeswoman said.

In March, Anderson asked Gov. Bobby Jindal and the governors of 18 other states vying to host cyber command headquarters to provide detailed information about their bases.

Barksdale Air Force Base, the provisional headquarters of cyber command, is considered the front-runner. But the decision of where to site the operational heart of a $2 billion-a-year command that aims to protect the nation's computer and communications systems from attack has been plagued by postponements.

The last target date announced by the Air Force is September of 2009. Earlier, the Air Force said it wanted to make a decision by the end of this year.

"We want to ensure the command has enough time to make the best decision for this important mission and to ensure sufficient time is given to complete all necessary evaluations," Anderson said of the sliding deadline.