Then-Air Force Lt. Col Jeremiah Hammill is pictured in August 2018 relinquishing command of the 611th Civil Engineer Squadron during a ceremony at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. Hammill, now a colonel, was fired July 15, 2024, as commander of the 96th Test Wing Civil Engineer Group at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. (Javier Alvarez/U.S. Air Force)
An Air Force colonel was fired from his command at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., days before he was slated to hand off his duties, according to service officials.
Col. Jeremiah Hammill was relieved July 15 as commander of the 96th Test Wing Civil Engineer Group due to a loss in confidence in his ability to lead the unit, an Eglin Air Force Base spokeswoman said.
“Information came to the commander’s attention that caused him to lose confidence in Col. Hammill’s ability to lead and raised concerns about good order and discipline within 96 [Civil Engineer Group],” said Kayla Prather, spokeswoman for the base.
The U.S. military routinely cites only a vague “loss of confidence” when removing commanders and other leaders from authority positions.
Col. Michelle Sterling, who was already slated to take over Hammill’s post on July 18, assumed the command as scheduled.
Prather would not say whether charges would be filed against Hammill, adding it would be “inappropriate to speculate.” According to Air Force regulations, relief of command can be used to support subsequent administrative action. Administrative action can include administrative counseling, admonishments and reprimands.
Prather declined to provide further comment on the circumstances leading to Hammill’s firing.
Hammill took command of the civil engineer group in June 2022.
The 96th Test Wing Civil Engineer Group is a test and evaluation center for Air Force air-delivered weapons, navigation and guidance systems, command and control systems, and the service’s Special Operations Command systems. The group manages more than 3,000 facilities, 1,200 miles of roads, 465,000 acres, and the Air Force’s largest fire protection program.
