MacDill refueling wing commander relieved of duties

TAMPA — Air Force officials will not shed any light into why they fired a MacDill Air Force Base wing commander over the summer.

Air Force Reserve Col. Frank Amodeo, who led the more than 900 airmen of the 927th Air Refueling Wing, was relieved after less than a year in the post.

Though his departure came in July, Air Force officials kept it under wraps until responding to a request from the Air Force Times, which first reported the change Monday.

Citing Amodeo's privacy rights, Col. Bruce Bender, a spokesman for the Air Force Reserve Command, declined to offer any details about what led to the decision to remove the wing commander or provide any documentation about the situation. Bender also declined to say what options exist for Amodeo's future.

Bender said there have been "multiple occasions" of wing commanders being replaced, but he declined to provide details, citing privacy concerns.

Amodeo was moved to the 6th Air Mobility Wing's director of staff office while awaiting reassignment to the Air Force Reserves, according to Terry Montrose, a spokesman for the 6th Air Mobility Wing.

Amodeo was relieved of command by Air Force Maj. Gen. Randall Ogden, commander of the 4th Air Force, according to Capt. Joe Simms, a spokesman for the wing.

He declined an interview request.

In a meeting with the wing's leadership, Ogden praised Amodeo for his efforts during his tenure as wing commander. However, Ogden "believed a change in leadership was in the best interest of the wing," according to Simms.

The Air Force Times wrote that Amodeo is not suspected of wrongdoing. Bender said he was not aware of any investigation into Amodeo.

Amodeo was replaced by Col. Michael Remualdo, the wing's former vice commander, Simms said.

"The 927th Air Refueling Wing will remain committed to providing global air refueling and aeromedical evacuation capabilities to combatant commanders, and will continue to successfully execute our mission at home and abroad during this transition," Remualdo said in a statement to the Times.

Amodeo took command of the 927th in September 2016. The wing has approximately 950 personnel with three groups and two medical squadrons directly reporting to the wing commander. It also is home to two Reserve-specific missions at MacDill: the 45th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron and the 927th Aeromedical Staging Squadron.

The wing shares 16 KC-135 aerial refueling tanker jets with the 6th Air Mobility Wing, the base host unit. Eight additional tankers are heading to MacDill, to be shared by both wings.

Before joining the 927th, Amodeo served as wing commander of the 403rd Wing at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi. Contact Howard Altman at haltman@tampabay.com or (813) 225-3112. Follow @haltman.