Air Force announces Lieutenant General Spears' retirement Published April 25, 2011 By 040411 DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE -- The U.S. Air Force announced last week that Lt. Gen. Glenn F. Spears, Commander of the 12th Air Force and Air Forces Southern here at Davis-Monthan AFB, will retire this summer. Upon retirement, Spears will have served over 33 years as a commissioned officer; his replacement has not yet been announced. "I have thoroughly enjoyed my service in the Air Force and, in particular, my command at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. The Air Force has given me and my family countless opportunities and blessings, and we'll leave with very fond memories," General Spears said. Lt. Gen. Spears currently commands 10 combat wings and one RED HORSE squadron with more than 40,500 uniformed and civilian Airmen and more than 520 combat aircraft. One of those ten wings is the 355th Fighter Wing at Davis-Monthan. He is also responsible for the operational readiness of 13 Twelfth Air Force-gained Wings and other units of the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard, consisting of more than 23,800 Air Reserve Component Airmen and over 200 additional combat aircraft. As Commander of Air Forces Southern, Spears commands all joint and combined air operations in Latin America and the Caribbean and leads theater security cooperation throughout the region. Lt. Gen. Spears received his commission upon graduation from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1978. He commanded a combined operations-maintenance bomb squadron, an operations group, an air refueling wing and an airlift wing. He also commanded the 100th Air Expeditionary Wing during Operation ALLIED FORCE, leading combat and combat support operations with more than 75 B-1, B-52, E-3, KC-135 and RC-135 aircraft, their crews and support personnel. Prior to assuming command of Twelfth Air Force and Air Forces Southern in August 2009, Gen. Spears was the Deputy Commander of U.S. Southern Command. He is a command pilot with more than 3,400 flying hours in 16 types of Air Force aircraft. His final flight has not yet been scheduled. "It has been my great honor to serve our nation and Air Force for nearly 33 years," Spears said. "As the senior three-star in the Air Force, I can see that the future of our service is very bright. With my wife, Kim's, continued support, I'm ready to pass the reigns of command to another Airman and transition to private life." -30-