By Melissa Chan
The Navy has laid off nearly a dozen officers in command positions in less than three months, five of them in one week, due to "loss of confidence" in its ability to command, an unusual succession of layoffs in ground crews , air and sea, according to experts.
At least nine commanding officers and two senior advisers have been relieved of their duties since April, when multiple suicides on the USS George Washington warship sparked widespread concern of a mental health crisis.
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So far this year, 13 commanders have been fired, 12 of them from the Navy and one from the Marine Corps, the Navy reported.
Recently, between June 8 and 14, four commanders of the Navy and a high command were dismissed.
It's unclear what prompted the personnel changes, which the Navy said were unrelated.
The Navy did not elaborate on the specific conditions that led to the firings, but stressed the importance of "trust" at all levels of the chain of command.
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“The United States Navy has long held a high standard for all of its personnel.
Those who fail to meet these standards must be held accountable," said Lt. Cmdr. Devin Arneson, a Navy spokesman, adding that such action is "neither punitive nor disciplinary."
None of the leaders served the George Washington, where at least five crew members have taken their own lives in the past year, angering some sailors and activists working to reduce military suicides.
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"How many service members have to die before this commanding officer is held accountable?" wondered Patrick Caserta, who with his wife has been advocating for better mental health treatment in the military, after his son committed suicide while serving in the Navy in 2018.
“You can't handpick some commanders as scapegoats and leave others untouched,” Caserta said.
At least one sailor on the George Washington, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal, blames his commanding officer, Capt. Brent Gaut, in part for the spate of suicides, including three in a one-week span in April. .
The sailor and the Casertas believe Navy Chief Petty Officer Russell Smith should also be fired, following controversial comments he made during a speech to a fragile crew in April.
Smith, the service's senior enlisted chief, is responsible for matters involving enlisted personnel and their families.
The sailor said his mates are still talking about Smith's comments that sailors should have "reasonable expectations" and that they weren't "sleeping in a trench like a Marine might."
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In separate press releases, the Navy gave vague explanations in at least four of the cases and general statements of "loss of confidence" in the others.
He said an "assessment" of the current climate at the Naval Justice School led officers to fire both the commanding officer and her second-in-command on May 31.
However, the Navy said neither officer was involved in any misconduct.
Navy Commencement and Commencement Ceremony at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, on May 27, 2022 in Annapolis, Maryland. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The commanding officer, Captain Amy Larson, had held the position for about eight months.
She has been temporarily reassigned, according to authorities.
Earlier, a "command investigation" led to the firing of the commanding officer in charge of the San Diego Submarine Training Facility on April 28, the Navy said.
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In Hawaii, a “series of leadership and oversight failures” at the government-run Red Hill bulk fuel storage facility led to the ouster on April 4 of the commanding officer of its Fleet Logistics Center. .
More recently, the Navy announced that the commanding officer of the destroyer USS Bulkeley and his third-in-command were relieved on June 10 due to loss of confidence in their "ability to function effectively as a command leadership team."
Military experts noted that it's common for ships' commanding officers to be fired, but it's more rare to see them ousted from teams that handle training, fleet readiness and supply centers.
An average of about 17 commanding officers have been relieved each year since 2011, according to the Navy.
It's unclear if the service plans to announce more terminations in the near future.
At least at sea, commanders are relieved so frequently that it's become a running joke among sailors, according to Benjamin Gold, who was a Navy officer for nearly seven years.
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Gold said layoffs are easy to trigger, especially when complaints of discrimination, sexual harassment and employment conditions are filed with the Army Inspector General's office.
“You always hear about bosses getting fired for one reason or another.
We describe command at sea as a kind of leadership experiment,” he noted.
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For command officers, there is a very low threshold for a personal offense, according to Gold, who is now a military law attorney.
“You are under the microscope.
As you go up the ranks, the microscope intensifies,” he explained.
Patrick Caserta, 57, and his wife Teri, 56, are baffled that the leaders of the USS George Washington remain on the carrier when other commanding officers have lost their jobs in cases that did not involve the deaths of any sailors.
“They have to be held accountable for this.
What is more indicative of a leader?
Driving under the influence of alcohol or the death of people under his command?” Caserta wondered.
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The Casertas know firsthand how poor leadership influences a sailor's decision to commit suicide.
Next week they will be in their fourth year without their son, Navy Petty Officer Third Class Brandon Caserta, who took his own life while serving in a helicopter maritime combat unit in Norfolk, Virginia.
The Casertas said their 21-year-old son, a flight electrician for a naval squadron, had been repeatedly harassed and abused by a toxic boss who denied his requests for mental health services.
The string of firings comes at a time when Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro is facing pressure to investigate toxic command cultures.
On May 17, del Toro and Admiral Michael Gilday, chief of US naval operations, visited the George Washington and spoke with beleaguered crew members about living and working conditions.
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At the time, a senior Navy official told our sister network NBC News that "several things" were in the works and that the recommendations would be developed and implemented "as soon as possible."
The Secretary of the Navy's office has not responded to multiple requests for comment on the status of those changes since then.
"There has been no accountability, nothing, when all these changes could have happened," Caserta lamented.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741, or visit
SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources
for more resources.
