US AP: Commander of Navy warship relieved of duty months after backward rifle scope photo flap

Commander of Navy warship relieved of duty months after backward rifle scope photo flap
Associated Press (archive.ph)
By Associated Press Staff
2024-09-04 16:18:12GMT


This undated photo, provided by Stars and Stripes, shows Cameron Yaste, commanding officer of the destroyer USS John McCain, firing a rifle with a backwards scope. (Stars and Stripes/Stars and Stripes via AP)

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The commander of a Navy destroyer that’s helping protect the San Diego-based aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Middle East has been relieved of duty about four months after he was seen in a photo firing a rifle with a scope mounted backward.

The image brought the Navy considerable ridicule on social media. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Cameron Yaste, commanding officer of the destroyer USS John McCain, was removed on Friday.

The Navy said Yaste was relieved of duty “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command the guided-missile destroyer” that’s currently deployed in the Gulf of Oman. The statement didn’t elaborate about why Yaste was replaced.

In April, a photo posted on the Navy’s social media showed Yaste in a firing stance gripping the rifle with a backward scope.

The military news outlet Stars and Stripes reported that the Marine Corps took a dig at the Navy, sharing a photo on its social media of a Marine firing a weapon aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer. The caption read: “Clear Sight Picture.”

The post featuring Yaste was ultimately deleted. “Thank you for pointing out our rifle scope error in the previous post,” the Navy later wrote on social media. “Picture has been removed until EMI (extra military instruction) is completed.”

Yaste has been temporarily replaced by Capt. Allison Christy, deputy commodore of Destroyer Squadron 21, which is part of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group that’s also in the Gulf of Oman.

The Pentagon sent the carriers to the Middle East to be in position should Israel need help repelling an attack by Iran or other countries, if such a thing happens, military officials said.

The Roosevelt is the flagship of a strike group that has recently included three Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, $2 billion vessels that are designed to shield carriers from attacks by air, sea and land.

 

[John Badman]

At least they’re taking it seriously.

 

[Cirrhosis_of_Liver]

On one hand, it's not like he has any reason to use a rifle.

On the other hand, even Chris would notice something wasn't right.

 

[World Famous Quasi Payer]

Wonder why he was relieved of command. Can't be because of the rifle.

 

[Not Really Here]

Wonder why he was relieved of command. Can't be because of the rifle.

Ridicule from a subordinate service.

The military news outlet Stars and Stripes reported that the Marine Corps took a dig at the Navy, sharing a photo on its social media of a Marine firing a weapon aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer. The caption read: “Clear Sight Picture.”

 

[HodgePodgeRogerDodger]

The other issue I have is why the fuck is his vertical grip so fucking close?

Also the black guy consoling him is weird, too.

 

[XYZpdq Jr.]

I was gonna say "yes this is wrong and shows he's a mong, but since when has this stopped US armed forces" but

Ridicule from a subordinate service.

yeah, get another gang of tards able to clown on your tard gang you're def gonna have a bad time

 

[Damocles_Sword]

Dude must have been a shit commander. No way did he put that shit on the weapon, that was handed to him by an armorer.

"You, armorer, issue me a rifle and a mag, I need to make an instagram post."

Armorer: *issues commander a rifle with the shit put on wrong he keeps around as a training aid/joke*

I'm honestly more nettled that the commander of a ship thought it was a good idea to waste my tax dollars on a personal social media pic than the fact someone put the scope he was never going to use on wrong. I hope he gets busted down a few pay grades before his inevitable discharge.

 

[BobbyBriggs69420]

Also the black guy consoling him is weird, too.

Maybe the black guy is the one who handed the commander his own rifle for the photo op, maybe the commander in question was an anti-racist ally who has shed his beliefs of traditional eurocentric ways of mounting scopes being the only and correct ways to mount scopes. He relished the opportunity for the cross-cultural learning experience and now is being punished (more) for it.

 

[The Gene Genie]

This definitely isn't about that photograph. That was all the way back in April. You don't just relieve a captain of command months after this picture was taken while the ship is on deployment off the Gulf of Oman. Something happened relatively recently to force this guy off.

 

[Not Really Here]

yeah, get another gang of tards able to clown on your tard gang you're def gonna have a bad time

The USMC is a subset of the US Navy, so more like "your own goons think you're retards."

 

[Cougar Pump]

Nobody else notice that he was replaced by a ‘lesbian’ woman that looks an awful lot like a man in a wig?

 

[Drifting Panzer]

It's bad when you get shit on by the crayon-eaters.

aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt

Named after best president.

USS Abraham Lincoln

Both of those got shot but only one said "meh, I'll walk it off"

 

[smartypants302]

Nobody else notice that he was replaced by a ‘lesbian’ woman that looks an awful lot like a man in a wig?

If your going make that statement at least post the photo or name. I had to track down the name and did it for you.


Captain Allison Christy

 

[dick brain]

What if he's just that good of a shot?

 

[clipartfan92]

Strange that they didn't include a photo of the "woman" in the article. They also spelled their own made up word "Transvestigation" incorrectly.

Bigots are raging because an LGBTQ+ woman has replaced a fired US Navy warship commander
PinkNews (archive.ph)
By Sophie Perry
2024-09-04 14:42:35GMT

Spoiler

Bigots are raging about the new commander of the USS John S. McCain (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Joshua Fulton/U.S. Navy via Getty Images)

Bigots are, yet again, collectively losing their marbles because a queer woman has replaced a fired US Navy warship commander who was dismissed for holding a rifle with a scope mounted backward.

Earlier in the year, a US navy official social media account shared a photograph of commander Cameron Yaste – of the destroyer USS John S. McCain which is currently deployed in the Gulf of Oman – holding a rifle and looking through its scope, which was mounted backward.

A backwards scope would invert the weapon’s magnification rather than enhance it, meaning it could not be properly focused or used to take an accurate shot.

“From engaging in practice gun shoots, conducting maintenance, testing fuel purity and participating in sea and anchor details, the #USNavy is always ready to serve and protect,” the now-deleted post was captioned.

The image resulted in ridicule from social media users and even a tongue-in-cheek post from the Marines on their own social media account, which was captioned “Clear Sight Picture”.

As per reporting by Newsweek, the US Navy confirmed Yaste has been dismissed from duty on Friday (30 August) “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command the guided-missile destroyer” and faces demotion to the role of naval officer.


The guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (Roslan RAHMAN / AFP) (Photo by ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Yaste’s temporary replacement on the boat has been announced as Captain Allison Christy, deputy commodore of Destroyer Squadron 21.

However, upon news of Christy’s appointment, bigots on social media were quick to ‘transvestigate’ her whilst also claiming she is a “DEI hire”, noting she took part in a panel on LGBTQ experiences in the navy a decade after the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ alongside her spouse Nicole Lobecker.

A quick look at Christy’s social media shows she is not trans.

Transvesigation refers to deeply problematic conspiracy theories which falsely claim individuals, typically women, are transgender and are hiding their “true” gender identity. These claims are often purported by those who already hold anti-trans views and define femininity and gender by misogynistic and racist standards.

Notable examples of transvesigation include Michelle Obama, French president Emmanuel Macron’s wife Brigitte and athletes like Nandini Agasara and Imane Khelif.

.mil profile:

Captain Christy is from Seattle, Washington. She graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science.

At sea assignments include OI Division Officer, Strike Officer and Navigator in USS PORTER (DDG 78), Operations Officer in USS PAUL HAMILTON (DDG 60), and Combat Systems Officer in USS PORT ROYAL (CG 73). Following a tour as Executive Officer, she fleeted-up to serve as Commanding Officer in USS McCAMPBELL (DDG 85) in Yokosuka, Japan.

Shore duty assignments include Junior Officer Detailer and Junior Officer Shore Coordinator (PERS 412) in Navy Personnel Command, Surface and Expeditionary Portfolio Manager in the Navy Office of Legislative Affairs, and the Future Operations Officer for Commander, U.S. Seventh Fleet. As a Lieutenant, she also completed an Individual Augmentee assignment at U.S. Central Command in the Strategy, Plans and Policy directorate (J-5) at the forward headquarters in Qatar. Prior to reporting to Destroyer Squadron 21, she served in the Joint Staff J-5 as the Missile Defense Policy Division Chief and J-5 Executive Assistant.

She holds a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.

https://www.surfpac.navy.mil/Leaders/Biography/Article/3843023/capt-allison-n-christy/ (archive.ph)

 

[JosephStalin]

Wonder why he was relieved of command. Can't be because of the rifle.

Agree. There's normally a pattern of behavior or one really bad thing. The scope issue doesn't rise to that level. Other things have happened, or were supposed to happen and he failed to do them. This ends his career. He is now a 'non-person'. If he has enough time in he'll retire. Otherwise, he'll likely be tucked away in some back office until he can retire. Not likely he did anything calling for action under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Dude must have been a shit commander. No way did he put that shit on the weapon, that was handed to him by an armorer.

"You, armorer, issue me a rifle and a mag, I need to make an instagram post."

Armorer: *issues commander a rifle with the shit put on wrong he keeps around as a training aid/joke*

I'm honestly more nettled that the commander of a ship thought it was a good idea to waste my tax dollars on a personal social media pic than the fact someone put the scope he was never going to use on wrong. I hope he gets busted down a few pay grades before his inevitable discharge.

When we retire, we are retired in the last grade successfully held. For the vast majority of us, including me, we retire in the rank held at retirement. Being relieved of command, depending just how badly this guy pissed someone off, usually means you didn't hold that rank successfully. In this case, he could retire one rank lower, as a lieutenant commander, or an O-4.

The behavior has to be really out there to retire several ranks lower. Heard of a USAF full colonel, O-6, Judge Advocate General type, who served in this role for many years after being disbarred. He was caught and ended up retiring as a first lieutenant, or an O-2. Imagine the difference in pensions. Know of an Army one-star who retired as a lieutenant colonel, couple of Army three-stars who retired as two-stars, and one USAF two-star who underwent UCMJ action and retired as a full colonel. Recently had a USAF two-star who was court-martialed, lost one star, will be interesting to see what rank he retires at.

 

[Damocles_Sword]

When we retire, we are retired in the last grade successfully held. For the vast majority of us, including me, we retire in the rank held at retirement. Being relieved of command, depending just how badly this guy pissed someone off, usually means you didn't hold that rank successfully. In this case, he could retire one rank lower, as a lieutenant commander, or an O-4.

The behavior has to be really out there to retire several ranks lower. Heard of a USAF full colonel, O-6, Judge Advocate General type, who served in this role for many years after being disbarred. He was caught and ended up retiring as a first lieutenant, or an O-2. Imagine the difference in pensions. Know of an Army one-star who retired as a lieutenant colonel, couple of Army three-stars who retired as two-stars, and one USAF two-star who underwent UCMJ action and retired as a full colonel. Recently had a USAF two-star who was court-martialed, lost one star, will be interesting to see what rank he retires at.

Thanks bro, dont completely know how that shit works. The stated reason of loss of confidence of leadership is interesting. Either the picture going viral made him so much of a laughing stock that it damaged his reputation or, as I speculated, he was such an asshole that his men were actively sabotaging him. I guess his retirement rank will let us know which is which.

Either way, I'm glad to know he was replaced by Capt. Competency crisis and the navy is now less of an overt threat to it's own country. You go, Emma's mom!

 

[NewnameRealEmail]

If your going make that statement at least post the photo or name. I had to track down the name and did it for you.

View attachment 6381063
Captain Allison Christy

The Yemenis deserve their coming victory.

 

[The Gene Genie]

Thanks bro, dont completely know how that shit works. The stated reason of loss of confidence of leadership is interesting. Either the picture going viral made him so much of a laughing stock that it damaged his reputation or, as I speculated, he was such an asshole that his men were actively sabotaging him. I guess his retirement rank will let us know which is which.

It wasn't the photograph. Stupid pictures of the military circulate all the time and in the grand scheme of "bad press photographs taken of US Navy ships and sailors" this is way down low. The 7th Fleet captains whose ships pull back into port looking like rust buckets, which is a far bigger "PR catastrophe" than a stupid rifle photo, don't get sacked for it, so this guy didn't either. Plus that photo-meme thing happened back in April.

They've been out at sea around the Gulf of Oman for a while, so something must've happened onboard during operations to make them dismiss him. I feel actually particularly inclined to think that the people - the journoscum who write these shitty articles and the goldfish-brained readers (like some in this thread) who focus on the meme image - who connect the photo as if it is the reason for dismissal are doing the Department of the Navy a favor. Something bad must've happened for them to pull the CO off while in the middle of hostile operations against the Houthis.