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VQ-3 squadron commander fired

SAN DIEGO — The commander of Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron 3 was fired Monday for “loss of confidence,” the Navy announced Tuesday.

The relief of Cmdr. Shawn Bentley by his boss, Capt. Brian Costello, came three months after taking command of the squadron. The squadron is one of three that provides airborne communications for the president and the defense secretary to command and control the nation’s nuclear forces of submarines, bombers and missile silos, according to the Wing’s official Web site.

Costello, who commands the Navy’s Strategic Communications Wing 1 at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., made his decision due to “loss of confidence in Bentley’s ability to command,” according to a statement issued by Naval Air Forces in Coronado, Calif. No other explanation was given.

Bentley has been temporarily reassigned to the wing, said Lt. Cmdr. Charles Brown, a Naval Air Forces spokesman.

Costello, a former commander of VQ-3, assigned Cmdr. Erik Johnson to temporarily lead the squadron, one of three that operates under the wing as part of U.S. Strategic Command. The wing is known as TACAMO, or “Take Charge and Move Out,” a moniker for its strategic mission. It operates 16 E-6B Mercury aircraft.

Bentley had taken command of the squadron, nicknamed Ironmen, on April 18 after serving as VQ-3’s executive officer for nearly a year.

In remarks made when he assumed command, Bentley spoke about his early hopes growing up in New York City. “When I joined the Navy 19 years ago, I would have never thought that someone from the Bronx, who had always dreamed of flying, would then be given the opportunity to command one of the finest Navy squadrons and some of the best sailors in the world,” Bentley said, according to a wing news article.

He addressed squadron members: “I want to provide you the leadership and mentorship and tools, i.e., chess pieces that were provided to me so that you can achieve all of your dreams, no matter what they are,” he said.

Bentley, according to his official biography, was commissioned in 1990 and earned his wings as an A-6E bombardier/navigator before later transitioning to the E-6A Mercury as an E-6 naval flight officer. He served with VQ-3 from 1995 to 1998 and later with VQ-4 from 2001 to 2003. During his career, he worked three years at the White House Military Office and completed a two-year joint duty tour with StratCom, where he served as the E-6B platform manager.

Prior to becoming VQ-3’s executive officer, he had deployed to Southwest Asia and served as the officer-in-charge of a Tactical Air Maintenance Office detachment in late 2006.

His awards and decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal (two awards), Navy Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (two awards), according to his biography.