Guam - Guam News

Guam -The former Vice Commander of Andersen AFB Guam, Col. Douglas Cox,  has been promoted to take command of the 5th Bomb Wing  in Minot North Dakota after that base's commander was relieved of duty.

According to a story posted on the Air Force web site [read story] Minot's previous commander,  Col. Joel S. Westa was removed yesterday, October 30th,  due to loss of confidence in his ability to command.

Colonel Westa was not relieved for any alleged misconduct or wrongdoing.

 Instead the article quotes Maj. Gen. Floyd L. Carpenter as explaining that Westa was relieved because of his "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."

In particular, "the newly activated 69th Bomb Squadron was deemed "not ready" to perform its nuclear mission," and that contributed to the loss of confidence.

"Perfection is the standard," General 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."

Although multiple deficiencies in the adherence of stringent nuclear standards were identified during several inspections, the safety and security of nuclear operations at Minot were never compromised, states the article.