Minot Bomb Wing CO Relieved of Duty

BISMARCK, N.D. -- The military says the commander of the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base has been relieved of his command.

The Air Force told The Associated Press that it lost confidence in Col. Joel Westa's ability to command the base. Westa's ouster comes a little more than two weeks after the base's missile wing commander was relieved of his duties following a series of mishaps, including two crashes of vehicles carrying missile parts, in a little more than a year.

The military says Westa was unable to "foster a culture of excellence," and showed a "lack of focus on the strategic mission during his command." The Air Force says he was not relieved for any alleged misconduct or wrongdoing.

Westa had been the base commander since October 2007.

The new commander of the 5th Bomb Wing is Col. Douglas Cox, former vice commander of Andersen AFB, Guam, the Air Force announced.

"Perfection is the standard," Carpenter said in an Air Force press 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."

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, according to the Air Force.

"While the shortcomings in recent inspections did not translate to an inability to accomplish the mission, they did show a departure from the standards of perfection that we demand in the nuclear enterprise," Gen. William M. Fraser III, commander of Air Combat Command, said in the press release. "Our leaders must set and enforce the standards across all of our mission areas. The nation expects and deserves nothing less."