With the activation of 24th Air Force, 
the Air Force’s new cyber operations organization, Tuesday at Lackland AFB, Tex., “a great deal of work remains” to integrate cyberspace operations with those in air and space, writes Gen. Robert Kehler, commander of Air Force Space Command. In an Aug. 18 release, Kehler, whose organization oversees the new numbered air force, writes that AFSPC has “an extensive blueprint” in place outlining the first 100 days for 24th AF to guide this integration. Many of the lessons learned by the Air Force in operationalizing the space domain will apply, he says. In fact, he notes, space and cyberspace share three key characteristics: rapid global access, persistence, and enabling awareness at strategic levels. He writes: “This is the key: combining our capabilities brings game-changing effects to our military.”
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.
