Former governor becomes an advisory board member of the National Cold War Center

Jonesboro, Arkansas – Asa Hutchinson, a former governor of Arkansas, has joined the National Advisory Board of the National Cold War Center (NCWC).

A longtime supporter of the NCWC, Hutchinson played a key role in the center’s ability to secure several sizable donations during his tenure as governor. Among these was the $1.9 million in state funding that the department received to help the NCWC become a popular tourist destination in the Arkansas Delta.

“It is impossible to understand today’s world without understanding the Cold War. As the nation’s federally designated museum of the Cold War, the work of the National Cold War Center in educating visitors from America and abroad is incredibly valuable,” said Hutchinson. “I look forward to working with the center to develop a world-class destination in the heart of the Arkansas Delta.”

Hutchinson has worked for the government for fifty years in a variety of roles. These include the administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, the undersecretary of homeland security for border and transportation security, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arkansas’ third district, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, and more. He has also served two terms as governor of the state of Arkansas.

Renowned Cold War expert Christan Ostermann, who chairs the NCWC National Advisory Board, commended Hutchinson for his prior support of the center and stressed the importance of his appointment to the board.

“Gov. Hutchinson has been a fierce advocate for the National Cold War Center since before its inception. As the newest member of our growing National Advisory Board, he will play an integral role in the future of the center,” said Ostermann.

Situated on the site of the former Blytheville Air Force Base (formerly known as the Blytheville Army Airfield), which opened in 1942 as a training station for World War II pilots, is the National Cold War Center (NCWC), a federally recognized museum dedicated to the Cold War. The base was transformed into an alert mission for Strategic Air Command in 1958. Events like the Cuban Missile Crisis and the signing of the treaties that officially ended the Cold War in the early 1990s did not cause the BAFB to lose its significance as a major U.S. military command for more than forty years. Fall 2027 is when the NCWC hopes to hold its grand opening. The center’s BAFB Exhibition is currently open and depicts the tale of how the base aided in American victory in the Cold War.