The commanding officer of a West Coast-based aviation maintenance depot was fired Thursday for a loss of confidence in his ability to command only weeks before his scheduled change of command.
Capt. Kenneth Brown, the CO of Fleet Readiness Center West based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, CaliforniaCalif., was removed from his post "due to a loss of confidence in his ability to lead FRC West," by Rear Adm. Paul Sohl, who leads the Fleet Readiness Centers, according to a Naval Air Force Pacific release Friday.
In October 2014, Brown took charge of the maintenance center, the whose 1,600 employees of which perform intermediate level maintenance on airplanes and aircraft parts.
Cmdr. Brett Ingle is serving as the acting CO until the permanent relief, Cmdr. Steven Leehe, reports. AIRPAC said Leehe will "take command on June 2, 2016, on the previously scheduled change of command date."
Brown, a 1994 graduate of the University of Mississippi, was commissioned through the Naval ROTC program and became an aviation maintenance officer, according to his official bio. He has served aboard carriers George Washington, John F. Kennedy, Nimitz and Ronald Reagan.
Brown did not respond to requests for comment on Saturday.
