U.S. Southern Command said Sunday that Navy Rear Adm. John Ring has been relieved of duty as commander of the task force that runs the Guantanamo Bay prison camp "due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command." The head of Southern Command, Adm. Craig Faller, informed Ring of his firing on Saturday at the command's headquarters in Florida. Ring's deputy, Brig. Gen. John F. Hussey, replaced him as acting commander.
Ring took command of Guantanamo Bay in April 2018 and had been scheduled to rotate out of the assignment the week of June 11. Col. Amanda Azubuike, a spokeswoman for the Southern Command, said Ring was fired after a month-long investigation that began in mid-March; she declined to give details. He "will be temporarily assigned duties elsewhere" in the Southern Command, Azubuike said.
Guantanamo Bay, a U.S. prison camp on Cuba opened in 2002, held nearly 700 detainees at its peak in mid-2003. It now holds about 40 detainees. There are also 1,800 military and civilian personnel at the base.
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