Gen. Tom Hobbins, head of US Air Forces in Europe, traveled to Mihail Kogalniceanu AB, Romania, Oct. 19-20 to visit with Romania military officials in anticipation of the new joint task force headquarters to be based at Mihail. Plans call for 100 US Air Force and US Army members. USAFE aircrews will use the facility to conduct aerial tactical training with their Romanian counterparts. During his visit, Hobbins commended the Romanian military, saying: “Romania has provided security in the Balkans, in Iraq, and Afghanistan. We have a good relationship working and training together.”
Gene Smith, Former POW and AFA Chair, Dies at 91
Jan. 19, 2026
Lt. Col. Richard “Gene” Smith, who overcame five and a half years as a prisoner of war in the notorious Hanoi Hilton from 1967 until 1973, died Jan. 16. He was one day short of his 91st birthday.
