It was repeat “marginal” ratings by the 8th Maintenance Group at Kunsan AB, South Korea, that prompted Gen. Howie Chandler, Pacific Air Forces boss, in mid-November to fire Col. Bryan Bearden from his post as commander of Kunsan’s 8th Fighter Wing, reports Stars and Stripes. Speaking with the new Wolf Pack leader, Col. Jerry Harris, the newspaper learned that the maintenance unit had received a marginal rating during an April unit compliance inspection and a second marginal rating in a repeat inspection in September. Bearden had commanded the wing since May and would normally have remained there for at least a year. Chandler relieved him on Nov. 10, citing “duty performance factors.” Harris told Stripes, “When a commander come in, they need to fix the issues of the wing they were given.”
While the Space Force is still making long-term plans to establish high-fidelity live and virtual test and training ranges in the coming years, officials say they're also working with operators to identify near-term gaps and quickly field capabilities to address them.
