5 COs fired in 5 weeks

[CommunityEditor]

The Navy’s recent troubled waters got even more turbulent May 11-16 as news got out of a destroyer grounding, a frigate apparently going dead in the water and a sub skipper being fired. The commanding-officer sacking was the fifth in as many weeks.

What’s more, the Coast Guard “temporarily reassigned” the CO of a 270-foot cutter after he was arrested on charges of assaulting a bartender in Key West, Fla.

The troubles began May 11, when the frigate Samuel B. Roberts was coming into port in Argentina after completing the annual UNITAS Atlantic exercise with other Navy and foreign ships. The Roberts experienced “engineering difficulties” and had to be pulled into port by tugboats, said Lt. Cmdr. Jon Spiers, a Naval Forces South spokesman. The frigate is commanded by Cmdr. Marc Weeks.

A few days later, the guided-missile destroyer Arleigh Burke ran aground off the coast of Norfolk, Va. Cmdr. Herman Phillips, a 2nd Fleet spokesman, described it as a “soft grounding,” noting the ship was able to arrive in port May 15 under its own power. There was no apparent damage to the vessel, Phillips added.

In the fifth skipper dismissal in five weeks, the Navy announced May 16 that Cmdr. William A. Schwalm was relieved of command of the fast-attack submarine Helena.

Capt. Paul N. Jaenichen, commodore of San Diego-based Submarine Squadron 11 and Schwalm’s boss, said he had lost confidence in the commander’s ability to “maintain the Helena crew’s proficiency and level of readiness.”

The latest firing comes on the heels of four others in the past month:

* The captain of an electronic warfare squadron, just nine days after he took command.

* The head of a major recruiting district.

* The commanding officer of a destroyer headed for the Persian Gulf.

* The commander of the historic ship USS Constitution, “Old Ironsides,” in Boston.

None of the firings was related to mishaps or operational errors.

The Navy has not released much information on the dismissals, but sources have suggested causes range from incompetence to fraternization to an allegation that a captain struck an enlisted crew member.

The Coast Guard reassignment is more straightforward, however. Cmdr. Michael Sabellico, skipper of the 270-foot medium-endurance cutter Escanaba, was arrested in Key West on May 15 after an apparent bar brawl.


Full article: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/0...ppers_070519w/


Are these changes indicative of leadership issues at the very top of the Navy? Are these isolated events that are mere coincidence that they are at the same time? What's really going on?

What I think i am seeing are the Junior Officers from the early eighty's coming of age. Having to have had to put up with gross incompetents that was covered up by the good old boy network. They were tired of the double standard then and are now making the standard just that. The standard not for a few and not to make someones career unbearable. It's about time the upper brass police its own.
I served under some of the best of the best commanding officers ADM Clemons being one of them when he had command of the USS Pogy. He listened to the crew and made the choice that was best for them, Not for his career. As it turns out when you do what's best for all your doing best for yourself.
While your on the subject of personnel being dismissed lets not just look at those officers in charge. The Navy has issues with it's senior enlisted too. Recently the regional Master Chief in the Pacific North West was relieved for making arrangements to have sex with two 12 year olds. What's our navy coming to that we are letting this kind of trash lead us.
Could this be a result of our "softening" military discipline? Or just the result of letting our Sailors and solders know its alright to do something just as long as the Military doesn't know about it. Don't ask Don't tell.
Come on. Why is everyone so shocked when the Navy finally looks up and says your behavior / performance is unacceptable, We are replacing you. We need leaders that will do just that. Lead. Remember the Navy tradition throw out those that want to stay and keep those that want out. I don't know how many will read this and agree, yet when they get to the office wont have what it takes to say damn there was something to that. I am proud of my service in the Navy and am tired of getting black eyes from the few bad seed. Just maybe there was something to the weeding out process that is no longer, the one of peers.
thanks for listening

Yes, and 8 US attorneys general were fired, too.

Maybe the dismissals were for the same general causes. Do we know the political affiliation of these officers? Maybe the Navy is being republicanized.

About time, too.

[TJMAC77SP]

I REALLY hope this one was meant with sarcasm in the pursuit of humor.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Yes, and 8 US attorneys general were fired, too.

Maybe the dismissals were for the same general causes. Do we know the political affiliation of these officers? Maybe the Navy is being republicanized.

About time, too.

Originally Posted by TJMAC77SP

I REALLY hope this one was meant with sarcasm in the pursuit of humor.

Well then? Who did these 5 COs vote for in the last election?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Well then? Who did these 5 COs vote for in the last election?

This radio clip from NPR should give a clue. Essentially, it says that the upper ranks of the military are full of people call themselves "conservative".

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...oryId=10613345

The problem with doing that is, the conservatives end up getting killed, while the liberals go home and earn enough money to have a comfortable life.

[TJMAC77SP]

Good God !!!!! Black Helicopters, the FBI murdered the Branch Davidians, CIA peddled Crack on US streets and now.....................the Bush administration is paying attention to who some O-4-O-6's voted for. Oh, wait a minute...............votes are confidential.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Well then? Who did these 5 COs vote for in the last election?

Originally Posted by TJMAC77SP

Good God !!!!! Black Helicopters, the FBI murdered the Branch Davidians, CIA peddled Crack on US streets and now.....................the Bush administration is paying attention to who some O-4-O-6's voted for. Oh, wait a minute...............votes are confidential.

Well, the President said it before the last election. "A vote for the Democrats is a vote for Al Qaeda." Why should the president keep people in his force who voted for Al Qaeda?

[TJMAC77SP]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Well, the President said it before the last election. "A vote for the Democrats is a vote for Al Qaeda." Why should the president keep people in his force who voted for Al Qaeda?

I missed that speech. Can you tell me where and when it was said by Bush?

When asked afterwards if the tape issued by Bin Laden days before the 2004 election in which he bashed Bush as president would help or hurt him, Bush replied ''I thought it was going to help. I thought it would help remind people that if bin Laden doesn't want Bush to be the president, something must be right with Bush.'' But that isn’t quite what you ‘quoted’ so I assume there is another quote.

I do know that many republican and conservative pundits did say things very similar and it wouldn’t surprise me to hear that someone like Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh had said exactly that…..but you said Bush said it so that can’t be what you were referring to.

VP Cheney said soon before the mid-term elections of 2006: “... Iraqi insurgents and al-Qaeda fighters are trying to influence next week's mid-term congressional vote. It's my belief that they're very sensitive of the fact that we've got an election scheduled," said Mr. Cheney. “They are trying to "break the will of the American people."

But that isn’t what you quoted either. I guess we will have to wait and see the quotation

[TJMAC77SP]

Originally Posted by TJMAC77SP

I missed that speech. Can you tell me where and when it was said by Bush?

When asked afterwards if the tape issued by Bin Laden days before the 2004 election in which he bashed Bush as president would help or hurt him, Bush replied ''I thought it was going to help. I thought it would help remind people that if bin Laden doesn't want Bush to be the president, something must be right with Bush.'' But that isn’t quite what you ‘quoted’ so I assume there is another quote.

I do know that many republican and conservative pundits did say things very similar and it wouldn’t surprise me to hear that someone like Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh had said exactly that…..but you said Bush said it so that can’t be what you were referring to.

VP Cheney said soon before the mid-term elections of 2006: “... Iraqi insurgents and al-Qaeda fighters are trying to influence next week's mid-term congressional vote. It's my belief that they're very sensitive of the fact that we've got an election scheduled," said Mr. Cheney. “They are trying to "break the will of the American people."

But that isn’t what you quoted either. I guess we will have to wait and see the quotation

Still waiting for that quote...............