US F-16 maintenance commander fired at South Korean base
Col. Jay Bertsch, commander of the eighth Upkeep Group at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, was fired Oct. 11 as a consequence of a “lack of confidence” in his management, Air Drive Instances has realized.
Bertsch was reassigned exterior of the unit after 4 months within the job, eighth Fighter Wing spokesperson Capt. Okay. Paige Hankerson mentioned Tuesday. His deputy, Lt. Col. David Breuer, is standing in because the group’s new boss.
The Air Drive declined to say why the unit misplaced religion in Bertsch or what disciplinary motion he might face.
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“As a mirrored image of the significance of our mission and duty leaders bear to information airmen, the Wolf Pack holds its leaders to a excessive commonplace,” Hankerson mentioned. “Out of respect for the member and as a result of authorized course of, no additional data is to be supplied presently.”
Bertsch assumed command on June 10, taking management of 1,100 individuals and a $2.4 million annual finances. The eighth Fighter Wing flies F-16 Preventing Falcon fighter jets within the Pacific, the Pentagon’s top-priority area.
“He’s answerable for day by day flying and upkeep operations, intermediate-level upkeep, element restore and upkeep coaching for a fight wing with 43 completely assigned … plane,” a cached model of his now-deleted official biography mentioned.
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Bertsch enlisted as a mechanic in 1990 and was commissioned as an officer in 2001.
He began his officer profession at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, in 2002 earlier than transferring to Holloman Air Drive Base, New Mexico, in 2005, in response to his biography. There, he earned the title of Firm Grade Officer of the 12 months as a captain on the forty ninth Plane Upkeep Squadron.
Bertsch went on to carry a number of positions on the Joint Employees and within the Workplace of the Secretary of Protection, in addition to at Air Drive and Air Fight Command headquarters. He deployed to Iraq and Qatar in management roles and served as a squadron commander at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona.
