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Ousted Minot commander won’t retire

Col. Christopher Ayres, the former 91st Missile Wing commander at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., who was fired on Oct. 14, will accept an assignment to Air Force Space Command headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base, Col., and not retire.

The 24-year missile officer was fired after 20th Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Roger Burg “lost confidence in his ability to command.” Burg also fired two maintenance commanders formerly under Ayres’ command — Col. Lyman Faith, 91st Maintenance Group commander, and Lt. Col. Andrew Healy, 91st Missile Maintenance Squadron commander.

The firings followed the Oct. 9 release of an investigative report that blamed a bug for an Aug. 31 crash involving a truck carrying rocket engine parts for intercontinental ballistic missiles. The driver of the truck was trying to get a “large insect” off his back when the truck overturned.

“We must uphold the highest standards within the nuclear enterprise,” said Gen. Robert Kehler, commander of Air Force Space Command, which oversees the missile wing. “We must have complete confidence in our leadership.”

It was the second time a payload transporter crashed on Ayres’ watch. Faith and Healy were in charge of commands that oversee the transport of ICBM components to the missile fields.

Ayres was not relieved of command for any misconduct or wrongdoing, said Capt. Lindsey Hahn, spokeswoman for Space Command.

“He was not fired solely because of the accident in August,” Hahn said. “His removal from command was a combination of multiple factors.”