Commander of Guantanamo Bay military prison fired for 'loss of confidence in his ability to command'

Tom Vanden Brook
Updated
A statement from U.S. Southern Command says Navy Rear Adm. John Ring was relieved of duty.

WASHINGTON – The Navy fired the commander of the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba on Saturday for "loss of confidence in his ability to command."

Navy Rear Adm. John Ring was relieved of his command following a Navy investigation. Adm. Craig Faller, commander of U.S. Southern Command, fired Ring for loss of confidence in his ability to command, according to Army Col. Amanda Azubuike, a spokeswoman for Southern Command. The nature of the investigation was not disclosed.

The facility’s deputy commander, Army Brig. Gen. John Hussey, was designated the acting commander.

Ring took command in 2018 of the task force that oversees the prison facilities at Guantanamo, which opened after the 9/11 terror attacks. Enemy combatants swept up on battlefields in Afghanistan were the first to arrive and were detained in chain-link fence cells. Those have been replaced by modern prison facilities.

A statement from the command said the change in leadership “will not interrupt the safe, humane, legal care and custody provided to the detainee population at GTMO.”

Ring was commissioned in 1988 after going through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Arizona, according to a Joint Task Force Guantanamo biography. In 1990, he was designated a naval flight officer.

About 40 prisoners are held at the facility. At its peak, in mid-2003, it held nearly 700. Most of the prisoners have been returned to their native countries. Among those who remain is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who is accused of plotting the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

The military tribunal set up to try Mohammed and others charged with terrorist acts has been stalled for years over issues such as evidence gathered during interrogations that included waterboarding.

Contributing: The Associated Press

In this Wednesday, April 17, 2019, file photo reviewed by U.S. military officials, U.S. Navy Rear Adm. John Ring, Joint Task Force Guantanamo Commander, pauses while speaking during a roundtable discussion with the media, at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. Military officials say that Ring has been fired for a “loss of confidence in his ability to command.” A statement from U.S. Southern Command says Ring was relieved of duty Saturday, April 27.

Want news from USA TODAY on WhatsApp? Click this link on your mobile device to get started

More: Ex-Gitmo detainee weighs in on Trump executive order to keep facility open

More: Trump signs order to keep Guantanamo Bay detention center open

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Commander of Guantanamo Bay military prison fired for 'loss of confidence in his ability to command'