On 30 March 2017, the 355th Fighter Wing commander referred charges against Chief Master Sgt. Jose A. Barraza, previously assigned as the 12th Air Force Command Chief Master Sergeant. The charges are the result of an ongoing investigation conducted by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
Barraza is charged with one specification for willfully disobeying an order, seven specifications for dereliction of duty, two specifications for making false official statements and five specifications for obstruction of justice in violation of UCMJ Articles 90, 92, 107 and 134 respectively. The 355th Fighter Wing Commander, Colonel Scott C. Campbell, preferred the specifications.
A preliminary hearing has not yet been scheduled.
Barraza, the command chief of the 12th Air Force, also known as Air Forces Southern, at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, was removed from his position in November. AFSOUTH Commander Lt. Gen. Mark Kelly removed Barraza Nov. 23 due to a “loss of confidence in his ability to carry out his duties,” AFSOUTH said in a press release.