Marine Gen. John Kelly, US Southern Command boss, this week visited Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., for the first time since taking command in November, according to a base release. The Arizona installation is home to 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern), SOUTHCOM’s air component. During his Jan. 14 stop, Kelly met with airmen assigned to 12th AF, the 612th Air and Space Operations Center—which is the command and control center for air and space activities in SOUTHCOM’s area of responsibility—the 612th Air Communications Squadron, and with soldiers from the Army’s 1st Battlefield Coordination Detachment, states the Jan. 15 release. SOUTHCOM has responsibility for the US military’s engagement in Latin America and the Caribbean, including counternarcotics activities. (Davis-Monthan report by Capt. Justin Brockhoff)
The Pentagon plans to use U.S. Air Force C-17s and C-130s to deport 5,400 people currently detained by Customs and Border Protection, officials announced Jan. 22, the first act in President Donald Trump’s sweeping promise to crack down on undocumented immigrants and increase border security.