The nomination of a former commander at Ellsworth Air Force Base to one of the top spots in the U.S. Air Force is a bright spot in what has been a bleak time for the Air Force.

When approved by Congress, Lt. Gen. William Fraser III will become the vice chief of staff, the No. 2 military position in the Air Force. Fraser's new job comes on the heels of last week's shake-up of Air Force leadership by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

Gates fired the top civilian and the top military leader of the Air Force because of a damning internal report on the handling of nuclear weapons that showed weaknesses in leadership that were repeatedly not addressed. One of those incidents included the North Dakota-to-Louisiana flight last August of a B-52 bomber that was mistakenly armed with six nuclear-tipped cruise missiles. The report found the nuclear weapons standards of the Air Force was a "problem that has been identified but not effectively addressed for over a decade."

Nuclear warheads are especially alarming, but we've had other, more mundane, concerns about the hardworking B-1 bombers stationed at Ellsworth and their maintenance and mission-capable rates for some time.

A recent Air Force Times article found the B-1's mission capable rate was only 61.2 percent in 2007, the lowest level since 2001. In contrast, the B-52 fleet had a mission capable rate of 75.8 percent in 2007.

The wear and tear that combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan have placed on the versatile B-1 workhorse in recent years has us worried about the Air Force's priorities, too. The plane's accident rate has increased significantly in those theaters, putting aircraft and lives at risk.

Thanks to his time spent at Ellsworth, Fraser will have a unique familiarity with those concerns and with all the missions at Ellsworth.

Fraser ran the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth AFB in the 1990s and he's remembered as a competent commander and a "super guy."

By all accounts, Fraser's recent appointment to the vice chair position will be good for the U.S. Air Force.

Given the possibility that he may one day step into its top spot as Air Force chief of staff, we hope it will be good for Ellsworth and Rapid City, too.