Air Force Fires Wing Commander Amid Financial Misconduct Probe

The U.S. Air Force has removed the commander of the 60th Air Mobility Wing at Travis Air Force Base, California, pending an ongoing investigation, the service said Monday.

Maj. Gen. Sam Barrett, 18th Air Force commander, relieved Col. Ethan Griffin of command Monday after losing "trust and confidence" in Griffin's ability to lead the wing, officials said in a release.

Griffin, who took command of the 60th in July, is under investigation by the Office of Special Investigations for "alleged personal financial misconduct," the release said.

"The Air Force's core values are at the center of who we are as airmen, and we hold ourselves accountable to those values. The decision to remove a commander is not an easy one, but this is the best step to ensure continued mission success and care for the airmen of Team Travis," Barrett said in the statement.

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Griffin previously commanded the 436th Airlift Wing at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, from August 2016 to June 2018, according to his official Air Force biography. He has more than 3,500 flight hours and has flown the T-37 Tweet and T-1 Jayhawk trainers, as well as the C-17 Globemaster III. He was commissioned in 1994, his biography states.

Col. Matthew Leard, 60th Air Mobility Wing vice commander, will serve as the interim commander effective immediately, the release said.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.