LTC Scott Basso, the Ranger Training Battalion Commander overseeing Ranger School’s Mountain Phase in Georgia was relieved on November 20 after an investigation substantiated that he made “derogatory comments to subordinates,” according to Army officials.

Maj. Gen. Patrick Donahoe, commander of the Maneuver Center of Excellence (MCoE) and Fort Benning, said in a statement that he relieved the battalion commander on Nov. 20 “due to his inability to uphold professional standards of conduct.”

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The promotion of Lt. Col. Scott Basso, January 2018.

Ben Garrett, the spokesman for the MCoE, confirmed to Task & Purpose that the commander was from the 5th Ranger Training Battalion, which according to the unit’s website, “conducts the Mountain Phase of Ranger School.”

Garrett said that the 5th Ranger Training Battalion commander had first been suspended on October 30, pending the investigation’s completion.

“The allegations were reported to the MCoE command and thoroughly investigated, substantiating the allegations of unprofessional behavior,” Donahoe said. “These allegations included the use of derogatory comments to subordinates in the commander’s formation.”

While Army officials declined to name the commander in question, the commander featured on the unit’s website was recently changed from Lt. Col. Scott Basso to Lt. Col. Derek Johnson, according to the Wayback Machine.

It Seems There Is a Culture Within the Military to Fire People.

The Ranger Training Battalion commander’s removal follows a number of recent suspensions and firings. 

More than a dozen officers and enlisted soldiers at the Fort Hood Army post were fired or suspended recently. Some Congress members have pledged to deepen their investigations into sexual assault, harassment, and other problems at the base.