WASHINGTON, October 11 (RIA Novosti) – The US Air Force on Friday fired the general in charge of its entire arsenal of nuclear missiles, citing “a loss of trust and confidence in his leadership and judgment.”
Maj. Gen. Michael Carey was removed from his command of the 20th Air Force, which is responsible for the nation’s three wings of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), the US Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) said in a statement.
The three wings of ICBMs consist of a total of 450 missiles at three bases across the country, The Associated Press reported.
The decision to fire Carey was made by the commander of AFGSC, Lt. Gen. James Kowalski, “based on information from an Inspector General investigation into Carey’s behavior during a temporary duty assignment,” the statement said.
Kowalski is in charge of all of the Air Force’s nuclear weapons.
Officials would not say what led to Carey’s dismissal, but the statement said it had nothing to do with his command of the nation’s nuclear weapons or sexual misconduct.
The vice commander of AFGSC, Maj. Gen. Jack Weinstein, has been named Carey’s interim replacement.
