--- title: "Air Force relieves commander of pilot training squadron" description: "Lt. Col. Brian Seymour was removed following a \"loss of confidence in his ability to lead.\" He took over the Air Force squadron in May." date: "2025-06-13" modified: "2025-06-13" authors: - name: "Nicholas Slayton" job_title: "Contributing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/nicholas-slayton/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/air-force-71st-student-squadron-relieved/" categories: - "Air Force" - "Military Branches" - "News" tags: - "adsafety" --- # Air Force relieves commander of pilot training squadron ![Lt. Col. Brian Seymour stands next to an Air Force plane at the change of command ceremony for the 71st Student Squadron on May 16, 2025.]() *Lt. Col. Brian Seymour at the change of command ceremony for the 71st Student Squadron on May 16, 2025. U.S. Air Force photo by Sarah Smith* Lt. Col. Brian Seymour was removed from command of the 71st Student Squadron on Thursday, June 12, the Air Force said, less than a month after he took over the unit. “Lt. Col. Brian Seymour was relieved from command of the 71st Student Squadron on 12 June 2025, due to a loss of confidence in his leadership ability,” a spokesperson for the 71st Flying Training Wing said in a statement to Task & Purpose on Friday. Seymour had only been in the command role for a few weeks. He took over on May 16, in a change of command ceremony held at Vance Air Force Base. He replaced Col. Eric Pounds, who took over the role in July 2023. The Air Force did not provide additional information on the cause of Seymour’s removal. The military often uses the term “loss of confidence” as a catchall for reasons for removing a commander or senior enlisted leader from a leadership position. The phrase covers a wide scope of causes, from personal reasons to misconduct. The 71st Student Squadron is part of the 71st Flying Training Wing, part of the Air Force’s Air Education and Training Command. The wing is based out of Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma. The squadron trains several hundred pilots each year, from the U.S. Air Force and other partner nations. According to the Air Force, the base is the fourth busiest airfield in the service. ## The latest on Task & Purpose - **A Marine Corps** [**reply-all email apocalypse**]() **has an incredible real-life ending** - **Army** [**shuts down**]() **its sole active-duty information operations command** - **Army plans to close more than** [**20 base museums**]() **in major reduction** - **Former** [**Green Beret**]() **nominated to top Pentagon position to oversee special ops** - **The Navy’s new recruiting commercial puts the ‘**[**dirt wars**]()**’ in the past** ## Author Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. ### Author social links [Twitter]()