Officials cut the ribbon on the 612th Combined Air Operations Center at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., May 9, formally opening the newest of the Air Force’s five Falconer AOCs. The 612th CAOC, which will carry the name of Air Force legend Jimmy Doolittle, will help 12th Air Force conduct operations in US Southern Command’s area of responsibility but could “support operations worldwide,” says Lt. Gen. Norman Seip, 12th AF and Air Force Southern commander.
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.

