The Air Force leadership has chosen Nellis AFB, Nev., as the site for a new joint military working dog training program. “The idea behind the creation of this program was to locate the training where the Air Force can flexibly schedule courses in support of deployed operations,” said Col. Kit Lambert, who commands Nellis’ 99th Security Forces Group that teaches the course, which will replace one that’s been held in Yuma, Ariz. The new program also is designed to move the handlers and dogs “through their required training in as little time as possible,” noted Lambert. The group expects to hold nine classes annually, each with 20 dog teams. It will utilize a dedicated, 4,900-acre parcel of land on the Nevada Test and Training Range. This land has features like a village and roads and overpasses that present realistic training scenarios. (Nellis report by 2nd Lt. Laura Balch)
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.
