The Briefing Room
General Category => Military/Defense News => Topic started by: rangerrebew on April 08, 2015, 03:56:29 pm
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Security Officer Removed After Navy Base Shooting
The Virginian-Pilot | Apr 08, 2015 | by Dianna Cahn
NORFOLK -- The officer who ran security operations at Norfolk Naval Station last year when an intruder got on base and killed a sailor, has been removed from his position and reassigned, the commander in charge of regional Navy bases said Tuesday.
Rear Adm. Rick Williamson has also taken "administrative measures" against the commander of the naval base, Capt. Robert Clark, but Clark remains in his position.
Williamson took these and other disciplinary actions last week, following the release of an investigation into the March 24, 2014, breach of security at the largest naval station in the world, when a civilian without credentials drove his truck cab onto the base, walked through a second layer of security at the pier and made it onto the destroyer Mahan. There, intruder Jeffrey Savage wrested a weapon from a female sailor on watch on the ship and opened fire, killing another sailor who jumped in to protect her.
The investigation was released on March 17, nearly a year after the incident. Williamson said that after a thorough review of the investigation, he agreed with the conclusion that a more experienced and seasoned officer was needed to run security at the largest navy base in the world.
Williamson relieved the security officer, who had the rank of lieutenant at the time of the shooting, and reassigned him to Williamson's staff.
"I thought it was prudent to relieve him," he said. "An officer, a lieutenant, may not have enough experience to run a base the size of this magnitude," he said.
In his place, Williamson temporarily assigned the job to the security director of the mid-Atlantic region, Williamson's command. Cmdr. Craig Trent will hold the position until later in the year, when a permanent replacement takes the position.
Williamson said he also saw fit to take administrative measures against Clark, but to keep Clark as commanding officer of the base.
"Continuity of command is important," Williamson said.
In addition, Clark had taken over the command just a short time before the shooting and he'd already begun taking actions to improve security on base. He also embraced the corrective actions taken after the incident and was actively implementing them, Williamson said.
Williamson said he's also begun disciplinary proceedings against three out of five of the civilian guards at the gate that night, who allowed Savage to enter and failed to follow the procedures they were trained in to stop him or sound an alarm. The other two guards resigned, he said.
A petty officer 2nd class master at arms who was on duty at the gate the night of the incident conducting random anti-terrorism measures has since transferred to an overseas assignment, but disciplinary or administrative actions could still be taken against him.
Among the other problems identified in the investigation, were vacant positions in the senior security realm. The highest ranking civilian security official, the precinct commander, had been absent for half of 2013 for what the investigation identified as "alleged medical leave," and the position of his deputy was funded but unfilled.
Williamson said Clark had taken measures to bring that precinct commander back to work. And in the wake of the shooting, the deputy position was filled.
Williamson said he's also overseen other corrective actions including repairing broken cameras, duress buttons, turnstiles and access control gates, improved integration between base and ship security in both communications and operations, and enhanced training and condition for possible scenarios.
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/04/08/security-officer-removed-after-navy-base-shooting.html?comp=700001075741&rank=3