Lt. Col. Alexander Demma, then-commander of the 961st Airborne Air Control Squadron at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, points out upgrades aboard an E-3G Sentry, Jan. 13, 2022. (Cesar Navarro/U.S. Air Force)

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — The commander of an Air Force airborne air control squadron on Okinawa has been relieved after a “thorough” investigation into the unit’s command climate, an Air Force spokesman said.

Lt. Col. Alexander Demma was removed as leader of the 961st Airborne Air Control Squadron at Kadena Air Base on Feb. 2 due to a “loss of confidence in his ability to lead the organization,” 18th Wing spokesman Lt. Col. Raymond Geoffroy wrote in an email to Stars and Stripes on Feb. 22.

Geoffroy declined to provide further information about Demma's removal, citing privacy considerations. Demma was reassigned to administrative duties within the wing, Geoffroy said.

“The Air Force places significant trust in its leaders and holds them accountable when they fall short of expectations and standards,” the spokesman wrote.

The 961st consists of approximately 160 airmen operating a pair of E-3G Sentry aircraft valued at $330 million each.

Demma took control of the squadron in June 2021 after serving as its director of operations, his Air Force biography states. He was replaced Feb. 2 by Lt. Col. Shawn McNabb.

The Sentry, known for its 30-foot “rotodome” rotating radar perched atop the rear fuselage, participates in a host of command-and-control missions, such as long-range surveillance, detection and identification, according to the unit website.

An E-3G Sentry assigned to the 961st Airborne Air Control Squadron takes off at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Jan. 13, 2022. (Cesar Navarro/U.S. Air Force)

Demma first came to the squadron at Kadena in July 2010 as deputy chief of tactics. He returned from December 2012 to July 2013 as the chief of squadron weapons and tactics and from June 2019 to June 2021 as director of operations.