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Littoral combat ship program manager fired

The program manager for the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship program was fired Thursday due to allegations of inappropriate behavior, according to Naval Sea Systems Command.

Capt. Jeffrey Riedel was reassigned by LCS Program Executive Officer Rear Adm. James Murdoch, pending an investigation into the allegations.

“He will not be reporting back to this command,” NAVSEA spokesman Chris Johnson said Friday.

Johnson said he could not comment on the allegations or the nature of the investigation except to say it would be done by NAVSEA.

Edward Foster will serve as the acting program manager until the investigation is complete, a NAVSEA statement said.

Riedel is the first senior Navy official fired in 2012; there were 22 commanding officers fired in 2011.

It’s not the first time the LCS program manager has been fired. In January 2007, Capt. Donald Babcock was fired for a “loss of confidence in his ability to command” amid program cost overruns.