Lieutenant General Robert J. "Bob" Elder Jr. (born October 15, 1952) is the former Commander, 8th Air Force; Commander, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana; and Commander, Joint Functional Component Command for Space and Global Strike, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Nebraska. He is now a member of the research faculty at George Mason University. As one of three active-duty numbered air forces in Air Combat Command, 8th Air Force provides long-range global strike, battle management, surveillance and reconnaissance, intelligence, information operations, tactical air control, and expeditionary heavy construction capabilities to combatant commanders. The “Mighty Eighth” also conducted computer network operations as the Air Force component to the Joint Task Force for Global Network Operati