Back in January, Iran seized two U. S. Navy vessels and detained 10 of our sailors, and though they were released amid a flurry of genuflections and gushing gratitude from John Kerry, our sailors were purposefully and publicly humiliated by Iran. Not only did they release photos, but they are going so far as to erect a statue to memorialize their “victory” over the United States.
The Navy announced that Commander Eric Rasch who was the executive officer of the riverine squadron has been fired as a result of the Navy’s “lack of confidence in his ability to command.”
The head of a riverine squadron at the center of an international incident in January was fired Thursday, the first officer to be publicly disciplined for errors that led to 10 sailors being captured by Iran after getting lost in the Persian Gulf — a debacle that nearly scuttled the U.S.-Iran nuclear deal at the 11th hour.Cmdr. Eric Rasch, who at the time of the Jan. 12 incident was the executive officer of the Coastal Riverine Squadron 3, was removed from his job by Capt. Gary Leigh, head of Coastal Riverine Group 1, for what a Navy Expeditionary Combat Command release said was “a loss of confidence” in his ability to remain in command.
It appears that Rasch’s firing may be only the first of the Navy’s disciplinary actions related to the January debacle.
The Navy Times continues:
Cmdr. Gregory Meyer, who was commanding officer at the time of the incident, is currently with Coastal Riverine Group 1, and has been put on “administrative hold,” meaning the Navy will not transfer him out of the unit, while a high-level review of the Navy’s investigation into the incident continues, said two officials familiar with internal deliberations.The move is the first in what sources expect to be a series of disciplinary measures for what was a high-profile embarrassment for the U.S. Navy.
The Washington Times has more details:
A Navy official says the Navy lost confidence in Commander Eric Rasch, who was the executive officer of the squadron that included the 10 sailors at the time of the Iran incident. He was responsible for the training and readiness of the 400-plus sailors in the unit.The official says Rasch failed to provide effective leadership, leading to a lack of oversight, complacency and failure to maintain standards in the unit. Rasch has been relieved of his command duties and reassigned.The official was not authorized to discuss the details publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity.
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