Northern Command’s director of operations was recently suspended. 

Gen. Glen VanHerck, commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, suspended Army Maj. Gen. Joseph Lestorti July 7 over a loss of trust and confidence, said Col. Elizabeth Mathias director of public affairs the commands.

Lestorti was removed from his position over a pattern of work and failure to complete some tasks, an official with knowledge of the matter said. 

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He had served in Northern Command since May 2022 and previously served as the deputy director for global integration and current operations as part of the Joint Staff in Washington D.C., according to his official biography. 

Gen. Robert Davis will serve as the acting operations director.

Mathias directed questions about next steps for Lestorti to the Army, which did not immediately respond. 

Lestorti has served since 1992 including an assignment as supervisory special agent with the U.S. State Department assigned to Anti-Terrorism Assistance.

A director of operations for a command can move on to take charge of a combatant command. 

Lt. Gen. Gregory Guillot, who has been nominated to take over for VanHerck, previously served as Northern Command’s director of operations, according to Air Force Times. 

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