Gen. Frank Gorenc, head of US Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa and Allied Air Command, will retire in July after 37 years of commissioned service, Air Force officials said. A successor will be named soon. Gorenc has held the USAFE/AFAFRICA job since August 2013, and has led the command during Russia’s invasion of Crimea and Ukraine, overseeing deployments of US Air Force assets to Europe—including the first deployment of F-22s to the continent—partnership activities with NATO and other air forces, and shifts of USAF European posture to deter Russia from further adventurism. Prior to becoming head of USAFE/AFAFRICA, he was head of the Air Staff at Headquarters, US Air Force in Washington, D.C., and served previously as head of 3rd Air Force, the principal element of USAFE.
The 36-hour operation by the U.S. military to fly deep into Iranian airspace and use Air Force B-2s to drop massive bunker buster bombs on a heavily fortified Iranian nuclear complex traces its roots to the work of intelligence analysts over 15 years ago.