West Point's garrison commander, Col. Anthony Bianchi, has been suspended, the Army confirmed to Military.com on Wednesday.
"U.S. Army Garrison West Point commander has been suspended of his duties for alleged conduct pending the outcome of an investigation," an academy spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
It was unclear Wednesday why Bianchi was suspended or whether an interim commander has been appointed. Service officials with the academy did not respond to any questions on the specifics of the dismissal. Suspensions can be due to a wide range of reasons, ranging from regulatory violations to investigations surrounding criminal allegations.
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Bianchi, who was commissioned out of West Point in 1997, could not be reached for comment by Military.com ahead of publication.
An artillery officer and veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Bianchi took the role of commander of the academy's garrison in July 2022. Before that, he was the athletic director at the school, according to his official biography.
The Messenger was first to report on the suspension.
The Army has seen a string of colonels suspended or relieved of command in recent months. Military.com was first to report the details on Col. Jonathan Chung, the commander of the 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade, who was suspended and eventually fired earlier this year after mounting allegations over how he ran his brigade
Col. Meghann Sullivan, the commander of the 5th Brigade Engineer Battalion in 5th SFAB, was also suspended amid accusations she sexually assaulted at least two male subordinates.
Col. Jon Meredith was fired from his post in October as commander of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, and in May was charged with sexually assaulting another officer's wife. His wife, Col. Ann Meredith, was relieved of command of the 89th Military Police Brigade at Fort Cavazos, Texas, in February after what she claimed was her interference in the investigation into her husband.
-- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon.
