The former head of the 927th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, was relieved of command in July.
Air Force Reserve Col. Frank Amodeo was removed by Maj. Gen. Randall Ogden, commander of the 4th Air Force, on July 14, according to a statement from the 927th. The wing’s vice commander, Col. Michael Remaualdo, became its interim commander at that time, the 927th said.
“In a meeting with the 927 ARW leadership, General Ogden praised Col. Amodeo for his efforts during his tenure as wing commander, however, the 4 AF commander believed a change in leadership was in the best interest of the wing,” the 927th‘s statement said.
The Air Force did not announce Amodeo’s removal at the time it occurred, but confirmed it after an Air Force Times inquiry.
Amodeo took command of the 927th in September 2016.
Col. Bruce Bender, director of public affairs for Air Force Reserve Command, said Amodeo is now working with the 6th Air Mobility Wing commander in the director of staff office at MacDill. Bender said Amodeo is not suspected of wrongdoing, and that he was not aware of any investigations into the colonel.
“The 927th Air Refueling Wing will remain committed to providing global air refueling and aeromedical evacuation capabilities to combatant commanders, and will continue to successfully execute our mission at home and abroad during this transition,” Remualdo said in the statement.
Amodeo joined the Air Force in 1986 and moved to the Air Force Reserve in 2000. He deployed twice to support Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom as a C-130 crew commander. He has received the Legion of Merit twice, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal four times, among other awards.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
