U.S. Air Base Commander Relieved

The commander of a major U.S. air base on Portugal’s mid-Atlantic Azores Islands has been relieved of command and is being investigated, the Air Force said Saturday.

Spokeswoman Maj. Ginger Blazicko did not say what prompted the investigation of Col. Melvin M. Reeves, which began Nov. 7.

She said Reeves was removed last week because Lt. Gen. Phillip J. Ford, commander of the 8th Air Force in Barksvale, La., “lost confidence in Reeves’ ability and fitness to command.”

An investigation was expected to end Dec. 17, Blazicko said. Reeves’ deputy, Col. John Calvert, took command of the Azores base pending appointment of a replacement, she said.

The Lisbon daily Diario de Noticias newspaper reported Saturday that Reeves was under investigation on allegations of sexual harassment, but the paper gave no details.