Lt. Gen. Glenn Spears, currently the deputy commander of US Southern Command, has been nominated to take over 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern), replacing Lt Gen. Norman Seip, the Air Force announced yesterday. Seip, who has lead AFSOUTH since July 2006, is retiring later this year. Spears, a 31-year airman, has been the No. 2 at SOUTHCOM since June 2006.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.