Fired CO of Unit That Lost Grenades, Machine Gun to Head AFSOC Security

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Col. Jason Beers, 91st Security Forces Group commander, takes part in a ceremony at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., on Nov. 5, 2017. Beers was removed from his post after explosives and a machine gun were lost in separate incidents. Jonathan McElderry/Air Force
Col. Jason Beers, 91st Security Forces Group commander, takes part in a ceremony at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., on Nov. 5, 2017. Beers was removed from his post after explosives and a machine gun were lost in separate incidents. Jonathan McElderry/Air Force

The fired commander of the Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, unit that lost both a machine gun and a box of grenades has been reassigned to manage security forces at Air Force Special Operations Command.

Col. Jason Beers, former commander of the 91st Security Forces Group, has been assigned as chief of the installations division under the Logistics directorate at AFSOC headquarters at Hurlburt Field, Florida, Capt. Amanda Farr confirmed to Military.com on Friday.

"We are fully confident in the colonel's ability to manage our Security Forces and Civil Engineer programs for the command," Farr said in an email.

Beers was relieved of his duties at Minot on May 23 due "to a loss of trust and confidence after a series of events under the scope of his leadership, including a recent loss of ammunition and weapons," officials said at the time.

Airmen with the 91st lost a box of 32 40mm high-explosive MK 19 grenades May 1, after it fell out of the back of a Humvee. After a quick, unsuccessful search, officials offered a $5,000 reward to anyone who might have picked up the box in Mountrail County.

The unit's airmen are tasked with protecting the base's nuclear sites.

Days later, the 91st discovered it also was missing an M240 machine gun.

Neither the grenades nor the machine gun have been located.

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

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