36th Wing Commander Relieved

  • Published
  • 11th Air Force Public Affairs

U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. David Nahom, Eleventh Air Force Commander, relieved Brig. Gen. Paul R. Birch of command of the 36th Wing, Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, today due to shortfalls in his personal conduct prior to taking command.

“I did not make this decision lightly,” Nahom said. “Commanders must always be held to the highest standards.”

Col. Larry Fenner Jr., 36th Wing Vice Commander, is serving as the interim wing commander.

The 36th Wing is one of five wings under Eleventh Air Force, along with 15th Wing, Joint-Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii; 354th Fighter Wing, Eielson AFB, Alaska; and the 3rd Wing and 673rd Air Base Wing, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.

The 36th Wing consists of 8,000 joint military and civilian personnel on Andersen AFB. It is comprised of five groups and 18 squadrons executing bomber task forces, tanker task forces, theater security packages, contingency response operations and peacetime and combat operations in the Indo-Pacific. The wing is also tasked with the successful deployment, employment and integration of air and space forces from the most forward sovereign U.S. Air Force base in the Indo-Pacific region.