BILOXI, Miss. — The Air Force has removed the commander of a key training unit at a Mississippi Air Force base, saying leaders no longer had confidence in his abilities.

Second Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Michele Edmondson announced Tuesday that she was relieving Col. William H. Hunter immediately. Hunter had led the 81st Training Wing at Keesler Air Force Base in the Mississippi Gulf Coast city of Biloxi since June of 2021.

Edmondson cited a “loss of trust and confidence in (Hunter’s) ability to effectively command” in a statement to local news outlets. She didn’t specify what Hunter had done wrong.

“Commanders must uphold the highest personal and professional standards and maintain a healthy, inclusive command climate in their unit,” said Edmondson, whose headquarters is also at Keesler.

Col. Jason D. Allen was temporarily appointed as commander.

“The position of command is a position of trust,” said Lt. Gen. Brian Robinson, commander of Air Education and Training Command. “Every commander, at every level, has the inherent responsibility to promote and safeguard that trust. This is what our Airmen deserve and expect.”

The 81st Training Wing instructs not only airmen but Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and civilian federal agency personnel. More than 2,700 students are on base at Keesler on an average day, with more than 28,000 students rotating through in a typical year.

The training wing teaches courses in more than 160 specialties.

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