Two Air Force Commanders Relieved of Command: Col. Mark Kimball and Col. Jeremiah Hammill

Two Air Force Commanders Relieved of Command: Col. Mark Kimball and Col. Jeremiah HammillPhoto by2nd Life Media

The Air Force has fired an operations group commander at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, following the release of a scathing report into a B-1B Lancer bomber’s January crash.

Defense News reported that Col. Mark Kimball, commander of the 28th Operations Group, was removed “due to a loss of trust and confidence in his ability to command,” Air Force Global Strike Command said Friday. Kimball was relieved by 28th Bomb Wing commander Col. Derek Oakley based on the findings of the accident investigation board report on the Jan. 4 B-1 crash.

That report, which Global Strike released July 25, blasted “an organizational culture that tolerated decaying airmanship skills” as one of the factors that led to the loss of the $451 million bomber, said Defense News.

“Many failures leading to this mishap were not a one-time occurrence or an aberration,” the report said. “The mishap occurred due to numerous factors, including a culture of noncompliance, widespread deviation from established policy and procedure, and several organizational influences and preconditions.”

Global Strike spokesman Charles Hoffman told Air Force Times that the 28th Operations Group is now under temporary leadership, but a permanent replacement for Kimball has not yet been chosen.

In another action of disci by the Air Force another colonel was fired from his post at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, just days before he was scheduled to depart via a July 18 change-of-command ceremony, Air Force officials confirmed tp Military Times as reported by the Air Force Times.

Col. Jeremiah Hammill was relieved of his duties as commander of the 96th Test Wing Civil Engineer Group on July 15 due to a “[loss of] confidence in [his] ability to lead,” an Air Force Materiel Command spokesperson told Military Times in an email as reported by Air Force Times.

Hammill’s actions, which service officials did not detail, “raised concerns about good order and discipline within [the unit],” the spokesperson said. “At this time, we are not going to comment further on the circumstances leading to this decision.”

Col. Michelle Sterling, who was already slated to take Hammill’s place at the time of his firing, has assumed command. Sterling was previously the commander of the 324th Training Squadron out of Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. Mid Bay News was first to report on Hammill’s firing.

These two removals of command adds to a number of commanders relieved of duty across the armed services this year, raising speculations of congressional hearings questioning the status of command and prepardness.