Air Force fires commander of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Col. Christopher B. Meeker was removed from his post by Lt. Gen. Donna D. Shipton due to "a loss of confidence in his ability to lead."
The commander of Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, was fired Friday due to “a loss of confidence in his ability to lead,” according to an Air Force release.
Col. Christopher B. Meeker was removed by Lt. Gen. Donna D. Shipton, commander of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at the base, one of six major centers within Air Force Materiel Command.
Meeker had been the commander of 88th Air Base Wing at Wright-Patterson since July 2022.
The Air Force provided no details on Meeker’s removal. “Loss of confidence in ability to lead” is a boilerplate phrase military officials commonly use when a senior leader is fired without the reasons for the dismissal being made public.
“I made this decision in the best interest of the men and women of the 88th Air Base Wing,” Shipton said in an Air Force release.
Just outside Dayton, Ohio, Wright-Patterson embraces the region’s ties to the origin of powered flight through the Wright brothers, who did much of their early work on the Wright Flyer in Dayton (the brothers’ first flight took place in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina). The base has some flying units, but its mission differs from many other Air Force bases in that it is primarily a hub for logistics. As the headquarters for Air Force Materiel Command, the base is home to maintenance and supply depots, laboratories, and much of the Air Force’s acquisitions and development work.
It is also home to the Air Force Museum and Air Force Marathon.
According to his Air Force bio, Meeker graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2000 and trained in the Air Force as a civil engineer. He has deployed four times and commanded the 52nd Civil Engineer Squadron, Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, and the 86th Civil Engineer Group at Ramstein Air Base.
Correction: This story has been updated to correct the name of Air Force Materiel Command.
CORRECTION, December 30, 2023: This story has been updated to correct the name of Air Force Materiel Command.
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