Commander relieved of duties
By ELOISE OGDEN Regional Editor eogden@minotdailynewsArticle Photos
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE For the second time in 2 1/2 weeks, a wing commander at Minot Air Force Base has been relieved of his command.
Air Force officials from Headquarters Eighth Air Force announced Friday that Col. Joel S. Westa, commander of the 5th Bomb Wing, was relieved of his duties, saying the removal was because of loss of confidence in Westa's ability to command.
Westa, who became commander of the bomb wing in November 2007, was removed by Maj. Gen. Floyd L. Carpenter, commander of Eighth Air Force, which has its headquarters at Barksdale AFB in Louisiana.
Col. Douglas Cox replaces Westa as the new bomb wing commander.
"Perfection is the standard," Carpenter said. "We will continue to demand exacting focus, attention to detail, discipline and dedication to the highest principles and standards for all activities surrounding the nuclear enterprise."
Air Force officials said Westa was not relieved of the bomb wing's command for any alleged misconduct or wrongdoing. Officials said "the inability to foster a culture of excellence, a lack of focus on the strategic mission during his command and substandard performance during several nuclear surety inspections including the newly activated 69th Bomb Squadron deemed 'not ready' to perform its nuclear mission, contributed to the loss of confidence."
Also Friday, Lt. Col. Gordon Geissler, commander of the 5th Operations Support Squadron, was relieved of duty for the same reasons, said Maj. Richard Komurek, of Eighth Air Force Public Affairs, who was at the Minot base Friday.
Westa and Geissler are the most recent Minot AFB leaders to be relieved of their duties. On Oct. 14, Col. Christopher B. Ayres was relieved of his command of the 91st Missile Group for the same reason as Westa due to loss of confidence in his ability to command. Ayres, who had been missile wing commander since May 2008, was removed by Maj. Gen. Roger W. Burg, commander of 20th Air Force.
Eighth Air Force and 20th Air Force are higher headquarters for the bomb wing and the missile wing, respectively.
Although multiple deficiencies in the adherence of stringent nuclear standards were identified during several inspections at the Minot installation, the safety and security of nuclear operations at Minot AFB were never compromised, Eighth Air Force officials said.
Komurek said the nuclear enterprise is serious business and there are stringent standards that must be met. He said the bottom line is the standards were not met for a series of inspections, which created a loss of confidence in leadership.
"We have to consistently emphasize the importance of maintaining the highest standards," Komurek said. "Basically the airmen work hard and do a great job in taking care of their mission. They have to be sure they get everything they need."
He said the change of leadership is not a reflection on the work of the airmen.
"The airmen have a great responsibility and it requires unwaivering precision and dedication, and they have to be really focused," Komurek said. "Basically I think the airmen understand there are strict standards and is accountability, and even if it is difficult, there is accountability for the leadership. I think they (airmen) expect leaders held accountable."
"Minot is a very important base with very important missions," he added.
Currently, the new 69th Bomb Squadron has been working on areas of concern following a preliminary inspection.
Carpenter met with 5th Bomb Wing airmen at a meeting Friday to inform them of the wing's change in leadership. The airmen were introduced to Cox at that time. Cox was formerly the vice commander of the 36th Wing at Andersen AFB in Guam. He arrived at the Minot base Friday morning , Komurek said. Cox's Air Force career includes time as a B-52 navigator at Minot AFB in the 1990s.
The new commander of the 5th Operations Support Squadron, Lt. Col. Michael Adderley, formerly from the 2nd Operations Support Squadron at Barksdale AFB, also arrived at the Minot base Friday, Komurek said.
Westa and Geissler will be going to the new Air Force Global Strike Command headquarters at Barksdale AFB, Komurek said. Komurek said all the bomber wings will transfer Feb. 1, 2010, to the new command. He said Westa has extensive experience and valuable knowledge that will be important to the new command.
The commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, Lt. Gen. Frank G. Klotz, was at the base this week to visit airmen with the missile and bomb wing and also spoke to members of the Minot Area Chamber of Commerce.
Westa came to the Minot base in 2007 from Andersen AFB in Guam when the 5th Bomb Wing commander, Col. Bruce Emig, and other commanders in select areas were relieved of their jobs after an incident when nuclear missiles were mistakenly loaded on a B-52 bomber at the Minot base and flown to Barksdale AFB.
"I feel terrible for the Westas and frankly, I'm in shock. Joel's been a good leader and absolutely great community supporter," said Bruce Carlson, chairman of the Chamber's Military Affairs Committee.
Carlson learned of the change in bomb wing leadership during a noon meeting Friday with other chamber people.
"The bottom line is the Air Force is zeroing in on not only excellence but perfection and anything less than perfection affects the chain of command. This absolutely has no reflection on the base itself. It's a reflection on the chain of command and the U.S. Air Force's need for absolute perfection. When we're dealing with dual critical missions (intercontinental ballistic missiles and bombers) involving nuclear weapons, we all expect perfection," Carlson said.
"The community certainly continues to support all military personnel and I'm confident in the future of the base," Carlson said.
|
Carter
|
|
|---|---|
|
11-02-09 8:23 PM
|
Regrettably, "concerned" is more right than s/he knows. There seems to be an active desire to mask the true problems in order to protect both the military brass AND town leadership. Unfortunately, it's no one single issue but a multitude of interactive ones.
|
|
concerned
|
|
|
10-31-09 7:59 AM
|
And no Mr. Carlson, you shouldn't be in shock because Minot was making national headlines in major cities because of its for performances and Airman failing this inspection and falling asleep on the post. We just choose to look the other way. So Mr. Carlson, read your big city papers more closely.
|
|
concerned
|
|
|
10-31-09 7:58 AM
|
I am lost on why all of the sudden commanders are dropping like flies when some in the past have demonstrated inappropriate behaviors.
|