Navy quietly removed several senior officers without its usual public announcements
The Navy has quietly removed several senior officers in recent months without its usual public announcements, prompting congressional criticism after Representatives Adam Smith and Joe Courtney said they were not told the three top leaders of USS South Dakota were relieved Oct. 14. The lawmakers said the lapse raised concerns about transparency.
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The three were the submarine’s commanding officer, executive officer and chief of the boat. Smith and Courtney wrote to Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle and Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao.
The Maritime Executive reported the removals followed a grounding, but said the Navy had not confirmed one and had confirmed the submarine came close to one.
Separately, the Navy relieved the USS Michael Murphy’s commanding officer in September for loss of confidence, a Navy spokesperson confirmed to USNI News.
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Reporting behind this story
- HuffPost (with Associated Press) — Navy Has Quietly Fired Some Commanders And Other Officials, Drawing Congressional Pushback
- maritime-executive.com — U.S. Navy Removes Command Triad From Attack Sub After a Reported Grounding
- navytimes.com — USS South Dakota command triad fired, draws ire of congressmen
- usni.org — Navy Quietly Removed USS Michael Murphy Commander in September