Lt. Gen. Frank Klotz, the general who led Air Force Global Strike Command at Barksdale AFB, La., from its infancy to full maturity over the past year, is retiring, Air Force officials announced Thursday. Klotz has been in charge of AFGSC since August 2009 (see Global Strike Command Reaches Full Operations, above). A 1973 Air Force Academy graduate, Klotz commanded at the squadron, group, wing, and numbered air force levels in ICBM and space operations during his 37-year career. Prior to taking the helm at Global Strike Command, he served as assistant vice chief of staff and, before that, as vice commander of Air Force Space Command at Peterson AFB, Colo. Replacing Klotz will be Maj. Gen. James Kowalski, who has been Global Strike Command’s vice commander since August 2009. The Senate on Wednesday approved Kowalski’s promotion to the rank of lieutenant general for his new assignment.
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.