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5th Bomb Wing CO relieved of command

The commander of the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., was fired Friday afternoon for loss of confidence in his ability to lead.

Col. Joel S. Westa was the second wing commander at Minot to lose his job in October. Col. Christopher Ayres was fired Oct. 14 as commander of 91st Missile Wing, also for loss of confidence.

Reached at his home Friday afternoon, Westa declined to comment and said the Air Force had instructed him to refer all questions to a base public affairs official.

Westa received word of his dismissal from his boss, Maj. Gen. Floyd L. Carpenter, commander of 8th Air Force.

Westa, a master navigator, lost of the confidence of Carpenter because of his “inability to foster a culture of excellence, a lack of focus on the strategic mission … and substandard performance during several nuclear surety inspections, including the newly activated 69th Bomb Squadron,” according to a statement issued by 8th Air Force.

“Perfection is the standard,” Carpenter said in the statement. “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.”

The new commander is Col. Douglas Cox, vice commander of 36th Wing at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.

Westa took command of the 5th Bomb Wing in November 2007 after Col. Bruce Emig was fired in October 2007 for being unaware of the accidental transfer of a nuclear warhead on a B-52 that summer from Minot to Barksdale Air Force Base, La.

Since November, five wing commanders have lost their jobs. The others besides Westa and Ayres:

• Col. John Roop of the 11th Wing, Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, D.C., was removed Oct. 6 after the commander of Air Force District Washington, Maj. Gen. Ralph Jodice, “lost confidence” in Roop. “He did not meet the leadership example we expected,” Jodice said through a spokesman.

• Col. John W. McDonald at the 43rd Airlift Wing, Pope Air Force Base, N.C., was relieved June 12 after arguing in a store parking lot with the wife of an Army soldier from neighboring Fort Bragg. The incident was witnessed by several people and prompted an Army investigation. After AMC officials reviewed the investigation, McDonald was relieved.

• Col. Bryan Bearden of the 8th Fighter Wing, Kunsan Air Base, Korea, lost his post Nov. 10, 2008, because in a series of inspections turned up problems in the wing’s maintenance group even though the wing was considered “combat ready.” The inspections faulted the wing’s adherence to technical orders and standards of documentation.