The commander of the 60th Air Mobility Wing at Travis Air Force Base was relieved of command Monday.
In a release posted online, the 18th Air Force said Col. Ethan Griffin is being investigated by the Office of Special Investigations for alleged personal financial misconduct. Maj. Gen. Sam Barrett, commander of the 18th, “lost trust and confidence in Griffin’s ability to continue serving as commander” and removed him, the release said.
“The Air Force’s core values are at the center of who we are as airmen, and we hold ourselves accountable to those values,” Barrett said in the release. “The decision to remove a commander is not an easy one, but this is the best step to ensure continued mission success and care for the airmen of Team Travis.”
The 18th said no further details about Griffin’s alleged misconduct can be released while the investigation continues, to avoid compromising the investigation. It also reiterated that airmen are considered innocent until proven guilty.
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Griffin took command of the 60th less than a month ago, on July 10. He previously was commander of the 436th Airlift Wing at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, and was vice commander of the 62nd Airlift Wing at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington prior to that.
Griffin also served as the commander of the 21st Airlift Squadron at Travis from June 2009 to May 2011. He is a C-17 pilot with more than 3,500 flight hours, and was commissioned as an officer in the Air Force in 1994.
The vice commander of the 60th, Col. Matthew Leard, is now serving as interim commander.
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.
