AIR FORCE OFFICER AT DISCREDITED MISSILE WING DISMISSED

An Air Force officer in charge of a unit that failed a nuclear surety inspection earlier this month was relieved of his command late last week, though officials at Malmstrom Air Force Base said the firing was not connected to the inspection failure. Col. David Lynch, the commander of the 341st Security Forces Group, was relieved of his duty by 341st Missile Wing Commander Col. Robert Stanley “due to a loss of confidence in Lynch’s ability to lead his group,” the 341st Missile Wing said in a statement. The 341st Security Forces Group is in charge of providing security and force protection for the 341st Missile Wing, which covers 15 launch control centers and 150 intercontinental ballistic missile silos across central Montana. The wing received an “unsatisfactory” rating on a nuclear surety inspection earlier this month because it made “tactical-level errors” during one of several operations during the inspection. The failure was the second black mark for Air Force ICBM units in the last several months following problems in the 91st Missile Wing at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, where 19 airmen were temporarily removed from duty due to poor performance during an inspection. “Lynch’s removal is not a result of the recent Nuclear Surety Inspection failure,” the Missile Wing said in a statement. “However, as the 341 MW prepares for a re-inspection, Stanley must have full confidence in the leadership ability of his commanders.”