When Meeker’s removal of command was announced last week, no reason for the move was offered beyond standard military language attributing the decision to a loss of confidence in Meeker’s ability to lead.
Lt. Gen. Donna D. Shipton, who recently assumed command of AFLCMC at Wright-Patterson, decided to remove Meeker.
“I made this decision in the best interest of the men and women of the 88th Air Base Wing,” Shipton said in a statement last week.
The 88th Air Base Wing is the largest air base wing in the Air Force with more than 5,000 military and civilian employees working specifically for the wing.
Wings of various designations have overseen Wright-Patterson as a landlord organizations since at least the 1940s. The base itself has origins stretching well back to before World War I, indeed to the Wright Brothers.
In October 1994, the 645th Air Base Wing became the 88th Air Base Wing. Long before that, the 2750th Air Base Wing was responsible for overseeing infrastructure and security at the base, at least since 1949.
It wasn’t immediately clear if commanders of previous units had been removed from command in similar ways.
Wright-Patterson is a big Air Force base, comprised of two main areas bisected by Ohio 444. With more than 35,000 military and civilian employees, the base covers more than 8,100 acres and is home to commands and missions responsible for designing, researching and sustaining weapons and equipment for the Air Force. Missions at Wright-Patterson control substantial chunks of the Air Force’s annual budget.
Spokespeople for the Air Force Materiel Command, headquartered at Wright-Patterson, have declined to comment on or elaborate on the reasons for Meeker’s dismissal.
Shipton named Col. Travis Pond as interim commander of the wing. Pond has served as the 88th’s deputy commander since June.
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