Hutchinson joins National Cold War Center Advisory Board

Former Gov. Asa Hutchinson has joined the Blytheville-based National Cold War Center’s (NCWC) National Advisory Board.

Hutchinson was instrumental in helping the center garner multiple large donations, including a $1.9 million distribution of state funding to the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism for use in developing the NCWC.

“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.”

In addition to serving two terms as Arkansas governor, Hutchinson has served in various public service capacities for five decades, including as a U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arkansas’ Third District, administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, and under secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for Border and Transportation Security.

Christan Ostermann, Cold War scholar and chair of the NCWC’s National Advisory Board, praised Hutchinson’s past support of the center and the significance of his becoming a member of 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.

The National Cold War Center (NCWC) is the federally designated museum of the Cold War that will be located on the campus of the former Blytheville Air Force Base (originally known as the Blytheville Army Airfield), which opened in 1942 as a training facility for World War II pilots.

In 1958, the base was converted to a Strategic Air Command alert mission. The BAFB remained a key U.S. military command for more than four decades through events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis and the signing of the treaties officially ending the Cold War in the early 1990s.

The NCWC is targeting a grand opening date in the fall of 2027. The center’s BAFB Exhibition, which tells the story of how the base helped the U.S. win the Cold War, is open now.