CO removed from USS Lake Erie for poor command climate

[rangerrebew]

CO removed from USS Lake Erie for poor command climate



By Jennifer Hlad 
Stars and Stripes

Published: April 28, 2015
 
 
SAN DIEGO — The Navy has relieved the commander of a guided-missile cruiser after an investigation into poor command climate on the ship.

Capt. John Banigan was relieved of his duties as commanding officer of the USS Lake Erie on Monday by Rear Adm. Dee Mewbourne, according to the Navy.

The decision was based on the findings of the investigation, and a “loss of confidence in his ability to command,” the Navy said in a written release. Navy officials said they could not offer any details about the ship’s command climate because the investigation is not yet complete.

Banigan served as the executive officer on the Lake Erie from 2011 to May 2013, when he assumed command. He has been temporarily assigned to the staff of the commander of Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet.

Capt. Douglas Kunzman will temporarily take over command of the Lake Erie. Kunzman is deputy commander of Destroyer Squadron 9, based in Everett, Wash.


The Lake Erie, a Ticonderoga-class cruiser, was home-ported at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, but moved to San Diego in August 2014.

http://www.stripes.com/co-removed-from-uss-lake-erie-for-poor-command-climate-1.342895

[aligncare]

Rear Adm. Dee Mewbourne. A woman rear admiral? (not that there's anything wrong with that) ...but in today's politically correct armed services, I always suspect "poor command climate" to mean the CO couldn't keep a lid on on-board biology, where barely-post-pubescent boys and girls were behaving like barely-post-pubescent boys and girls.

Sorry, I'm ancient and I think American warriors should be all-male. War is not a sock hop.

Of course if the reasons the commander was relieved are unrelated to political correctness — then, never mind.

[EC]

Could be for anything really. Ranger has better insight into Navy, but some of the general rules are the same no matter which branch of the forces you are in and "blame flows uphill" is one of them.

My money would be on micromanaging though, leading to a loss in morale. Captain was previously the XO of the same ship and that means he knows all the little details that the captain never gets troubled with, with the associated temptation to think he knows what is going on better than his subordinate officers.

Our Navy actually has a policy in place that prevents an XO captaining his previous vessel for at least two operational cycles after promotion, precisely to prevent this happening.

[MACVSOG68]

Rear Adm. Dee Mewbourne. A woman rear admiral? (not that there's anything wrong with that) ...but in today's politically correct armed services, I always suspect "poor command climate" to mean the CO couldn't keep a lid on on-board biology, where barely-post-pubescent boys and girls were behaving like barely-post-pubescent boys and girls.

Sorry, I'm ancient and I think American warriors should be all-male. War is not a sock hop.

Of course if the reasons the commander was relieved are unrelated to political correctness — then, never mind.

                                                           

[Bigun]

Rear Adm. Dee Mewbourne. A woman rear admiral? (not that there's anything wrong with that) ...but in today's politically correct armed services, I always suspect "poor command climate" to mean the CO couldn't keep a lid on on-board biology, where barely-post-pubescent boys and girls were behaving like barely-post-pubescent boys and girls.

Sorry, I'm ancient and I think American warriors should be all-male. War is not a sock hop.

Of course if the reasons the commander was relieved are unrelated to political correctness — then, never mind.