Commander of special operations medical squadron at Cannon AFB fired

The commander of an Air Force special operations medical squadron at Cannon Air Force Base was relieved of his duties last week about one year after he took command of the unit, base officials said Friday.

Lt. Col. Kenneth Beadle was fired from command of the 27th Special Operations Medical Readiness Squadron "due to a loss of trust and confidence in his ability to lead," said Misty Mercado, a Cannon AFB-based spokeswoman for the squadron's parent unit, the 27th Special Operations Wing. Mercado declined to provide specific reasons for Beadle's removal, citing privacy concerns.

"The decision was reached after leadership carefully considered inputs and observations made throughout his one year as commander," the spokeswoman said, noting Beadle had taken command of the unit on July 9, 2021. "The [27th Special Operations Wing] is committed to maintaining good order and discipline by holding leaders accountable to Air Force standards and expectations. It is important that all leaders foster a unit culture built on our service core values."

It was not immediately clear who would replace Beadle as the squadron's commander or whether he was the subject of any investigation.

Mercado said wing leadership was working to determine "the best way forward to address the situation." She said she could provide no further details Friday.

Beadle, a physician assistant and veteran of the war in Afghanistan, has served 30 years in the Air Force. He served initially as an enlisted medical specialist until he was commissioned an officer after attending the inter-service physician assistant program, according to the Air Force.

In addition to the physician assistant master's degree that he earned through that program run by University of Nebraska College of Medicine, Beadle holds a doctorate in science in emergency medicine from Baylor University in Texas, according to his LinkedIn profile.

In 2016, Beadle was awarded an Air Force Achievement Medal alongside 11 other airmen at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan for their efforts March 29, 2016, to recover the wreckage of an F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet that crashed shortly after takeoff from the base just north of Kabul, according to photographs on the Pentagon's DVIDS website.