Air Force Actions in the War on Drugs

Lt. Gen. Mark C. Nowland is the Commander, 12th Air Force, Air Combat Command, and Commander, Air Forces Southern, U.S. Southern Command, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. Twelfth Air Force ensures the readiness of seven active duty wings and one direct reporting unit for contingency operations, and oversees 15 gained Air Reserve Component units totaling more than 360 aircraft and 20,300 Airmen. As the air and space component to U.S. Southern Command, Air Forces Southern conducts security cooperation and provides air, space and cyberspace capabilities throughout the 31 nations of Latin America and the Caribbean.

General Nowland is a 1985 graduate from the U.S. Air Force Academy. He previously commanded at the squadron and wing levels and served on the Joint Staff and two Air Force major-command staffs. The general has flown combat operations in support of operations Southern Watch and Iraqi Freedom. He is also a graduate of the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies and was a National Security Fellow at the Olin Institute at Harvard University. Prior to his current assignment, General Nowland was the Chief of Staff, U.S. Southern Command, Miami, Fla.

General Nowland is a command pilot with more than 3,600 flying hours, primarily in the F-15C, A-10, T-37, and T-38.