The former installation commander of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio will serve 21 days in confinement after agreeing to a court-martial plea deal admitting fraternization.
Col. Christopher Meeker, who also commanded the 88th Air Base Wing at Wright-Patt, will also receive a reprimand and forfeit a total of $14,000 in pay.
During Tuesday’s court-martial at Wright-Patterson, Meeker pleaded guilty to violating articles of the Uniform Code of Military Justice barring fraternization and willfully disobeying a superior commissioned officer. The government dismissed a charge of extramarital sexual conduct as part of the plea agreement revealed during the trial.
Prosecutors alleged Meeker inappropriately engaged in a personal and sexual relationship with a staff sergeant, which led to the fraternization charge and the dismissed extramarital sexual conduct charge. Prosecutors also said Meeker disobeyed an order from Lt. Gen. Donna Shipton, commander of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, to stop all electronic and personal contact with the staff sergeant.
However, that behavior occurred after Meeker was fired from command of the 88th Air Base Wing. Shipton relieved him of command on Dec. 29, 2023, due to a loss of confidence in his ability to lead, the Air Force said.
The Air Force conducted an investigation into Meeker’s actions and then charged him with three violations of the UCMJ on Oct. 25, 2024. He chose to have his case decided by a military judge instead of a jury-like panel of fellow officers. Had the case gone to trial and he been found guilty of all charges, Meeker could have been confined for as much as seven years and had to forfeit all pay and allowances.
Meeker admitted in court to willfully disobeying Shipton’s order to cut off all contact with the enlisted airman. He said it showed a lack of personal and professional discipline, adding he acted “selfishly, for my own personal happiness.”
Meeker, who was a civil engineer in the Air Force and served for 25 years, assumed command of the 88th in July 2022.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
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