OAN Staff Abril Elfi
5:58 PM – Wednesday, September 3, 2024
The commander of a Navy destroyer who was photographed firing a rifle that had a scope pointing backwards has been relieved of duty.
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“If someone is relieved of their duties or is relieved of their post, they are told that they are no longer required to continue in their job.” (Collins Dictionary)
The Navy released a statement saying that the commanding officer of the destroyer USS John S. McCain, Cameron Yaste, had been removed 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, was the individual who relieved Yaste.
According to reports, Yaste’s firing comes as the destroyer is currently protecting the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Gulf of Oman, a deployment that comes amid tense regional disputes in the Middle East.
Yaste had taken on the role of commanding the USS John S. McCain in October of 2023.
“The Navy holds commanding officers to the highest standards and holds them accountable when those standards are not met,” according to the statement, which adds that Yaste has been temporarily reassigned to Naval Surface Group Northwest.
The infamous picture was posted around four months ago on the U.S. Navy’s official Instagram. The Marine Corps account reportedly poked fun at the Navy by posting a picture of a Marine shooting a weapon on social media while on board the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer. The caption read: “Clear Sight Picture,” according to the military news source Stars and Stripes.
Yaste has been temporarily replaced by Destroyer Squadron 21’s deputy commodore, Capt. Allison Christy. Currently in the Gulf of Oman, that squadron is a part of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group.
Meanwhile, social media users on X (Twitter) expressed skepticism about the details of Yaste’s transfer.
“I have a hard time believing that a Navy Captain was relieved for holding a weapon with a scope on backwards. A Navy Captain does not have an M4 as a T/O weapon. He would never be required to qualify on that weapon. It has to do with something else,” said one user on X.
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