OAN Staff Avril Elfi
Wednesday, September 3, 2024 5:58 PM
The captain of a Navy destroyer has been fired after he was photographed firing a rifle with the scope pointed backwards.
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“When you are relieved of your duties or relieved of your position, you are told that you no longer need to remain in that position.” (Collins Dictionary)
The Navy said in a statement that Captain Cameron Yaste of the destroyer John S. McCain was relieved of command on Friday “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command the guided-missile destroyer.”
Rear Adm. Christopher Alexander, commander of the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, replaced Yaste.
Yaste's firing was reportedly carried out while the destroyer was escorting the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Gulf of Oman amid escalating regional conflict in the Middle East.
Yaste was scheduled to assume command of the USS John S. McCain in October 2023.
“The Navy holds its commanders to the highest standards and holds them accountable when those standards are not met,” the statement said, adding that Yaste had been temporarily redeployed to Naval Surface Force Northwest.
The infamous photo was posted to the U.S. Navy's official Instagram account about four months ago. The Marine Corps account reportedly mocked the Navy by posting a photo of Marines aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer firing their weapons on social media. According to a military news source, the caption read, “Clear line of sight image.” Stars and Stripes.
Yasute will be temporarily replaced by Capt. Allison Christie, vice admiral of Destroyer Squadron 21, which is currently deployed to the Gulf of Oman as part of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group.
Meanwhile, social media users on Twitter expressed skepticism about the details of Yaste's transfer.
“I find it hard to believe that a Navy Captain was fired for having a weapon with a backwards scope. Navy Captains do not have an M4 as a T/O weapon. They will never be asked to qualify with that weapon. That's a separate issue,” one X user said.
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