Marine Corps Squadron Commander Fired Amid 'Loss of Trust, Confidence'

The commander of a wing support squadron based in Cherry Point in North Carolina has been relieved of duty after a commanding general lost confidence in his ability to lead.

Lt. Col. Taylor White, commander of Marine Wing Support Squadron 274, was relieved of his post Thursday by Maj. Gen. Matthew Glavy, commander of 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, according to a release send out by 2nd MAW officials.

The wing has recently been linked to two significant aviation mishaps.

On July 10, a KC-130 that took off from Cherry Point crashed in Mississippi, killing all 16 Marines aboard. A day later, lightning struck a flightline in nearby New River, fatally injuring one MV-22 Osprey maintainer and sending another briefly to the hospital.

Related content:

• KC-130 Plane Crash Kills 16 Troops Aboard, Marine Corps Says
• Evidence From Marine KC-130 Crash Site Points to Mid-Air Disaster
• Marine Injured in MV-22 Lightning Strike Taken Off Life Support

The specifics of why he was relieved have not been made available.

A spokeswoman for 2nd MAW, 1st Lt. Monica Witt, said MWSS-274 had not had any involvement in the weather incident that White's relief was unrelated. The crew and aircraft in the fatal aviation accident came from another location -- the KC-130 from the 4th MAW and the crew from that wing and Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC).

According to his official biography, White joined the Marine Corps in 1996, serving as an enlisted combat engineer before earning a commission in 1998. He then served as a combat engineer officer, deploying to Kosovo and three times to Iraq.

His past assignments include a tour on the Joint Staff as a joint doctrine development officer, where he developed and revised a number of NATO and joint documents on counterinsurgency, counter-improvised explosive device warfare and security force assistance, among other topics, according to his biography. He also spent a year as director of instruction at Marine Corps Engineer School.

He assumed command of MWSS-274 in July 2016, according to the bio. His awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.

Lt. Col. Scott Cobb, who recently served as chief of U.S. plans at Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve, will replace White as commander of MWSS-274. White will be reassigned to another unit, according to the release.

White, who assumed command of the squadron in July 2016, has been replaced by Lt. Col. Scott Cobb. White will be reassigned to another unit.

-- Editor's note: This story was updated to correct the spokeswoman's rank and to clarify her comments in the sixth paragraph.

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.