The commander of an Air Force special operations group was fired this week due to a loss of confidence, a service spokesman said.
Col. Michael Shreves was relieved as commander of the 27th Special Operations Group at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico on Tuesday, a spokesman for the base’s 27th Special Operations Wing told Task & Purpose in a statement.
“The decision to remove Col. Shreves was not based on any character issue or indiscretion,” said Col. Terence Taylor, 27th SOW commander, in a statement. “The [27th SOW] holds its leaders to the highest standard, and each of them bears a great responsibility to maintain good order and discipline within their formation.”
Lt. Col. Charles Hodges, senior director of the 27th SOW Commander Action Group, will serve as the interim commander in Shreves’ stead.
“Loss of confidence” is the U.S. military’s favorite euphemism to publicly announce the relief of an officer or senior enlisted leader.
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Assigned to Air Force Special Operations Command, the 27th SOG is responsible for the training and readiness for various special operations aircraft, including the CV-22 Osprey, AC-130J Ghostrider, MC-130J Commando II, MQ-9 Reaper, and U-28 Draco, according to the Air Force.
Shreves was commissioned in the Air Force in 1998 through the University of Michigan’s Reserve Officer Training Corps, according to his official biography, earning his wings at Columbus Air Force Base in 2000 and transitioning into the ranks of AFSOC in 2004 as an AC-130U Spooky gunship pilot at Hurlburt Field in Florida.
Shreves is a command pilot with more than 3,900 flight hours, “including more than 1,500 combat hours in the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan,” according to his bio. His awards include a Bronze Star Medal and Air Medal with eleven oak leaf clusters, among other decorations.
Before taking command of the 27th SOG, Shreves served as Resolute Support Mission Liaison to US Embassy Kabul in Afghanistan until February 2021.
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