CNATT boss relieved of command

Navy Capt. Nate Schneider, commanding officer of the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training (CNATT) at NAS Pensacola, Fla., was relieved of his post April 28. The decision was carried out by Rear Adm. Kyle Cozad, head of the headquarters of Naval Education and Training Command in Pensacola. Cozad had lost confidence in Schneider's ability to lead, according to NETC spokesperson Cmdr. James Stockman. NETC had conducted an unspecified investigation, according to Stockman, and "based on the findings, Adm. Cozad relieved Capt. Schneider." Stockman declined to provide additional details. Capt. Bryant Hepstall, the command’s executive officer, has replaced Schneider, Stockman said. The former XO is a native of Thomasville, Ala. Hepstall enlisted in the Navy in 1981 and advanced to the rank of chief petty officer. Commissioned via the Limited Duty Officer program in 1993, he was designated an aerospace maintenance duty officer in 2001. He earned a Master of Science Degree in Business Administration from Troy State University in 2001. Schneider has been assigned to Naval Air Station Pensacola. Reached by e-mail, Schneider said commanding CNATT was an “honor and privilege.” CNATT is the schoolhouse that develops Navy and Marine Corps enlisted aviation technical training, and for officers who work in aviation maintenance. (Source: Military.com 04/28/20) Central Mississippi Note: Naval Technical Training Center Meridian, Miss., is also under the operational and administrative control of the Naval Education and Training Command. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/04/28/navy-fires-head-aviation-training-school.html