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Navy Fires USS McCain Senior Leaders After 'Preventable' Deadly Collision
The Navy has relieved two USS John S. McCain senior officers in connection with a “preventable” deadly collision involving the destroyer and a civilian merchant vessel near Singapore.
Seventh Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Phil Sawyer relieved the McCain’s commanding officer, Cmdr. Alfredo Sanchez, and executive officer, Cmdr. Jessie Sanchez, due to a loss of confidence in their ability to lead, said a Navy statement issued Wednesday.

The statement – which called the Aug. 21 collision with an oil tanker that killed 10 McCain crew members “preventable” – said Alfredo Sanchez displayed “poor judgement” while Jessie Sanchez “exercised poor leadership of the ship's training program.”
Alfredo Sanchez assumed duties as the McCain’s executive officer in April 2015 and became the ship’s commander in September 2016. He has been reassigned to Naval Forces Japan, while Jessie Sanchez will go to work for Yokosuka’s Ship Repair Facility, the statement said.
A former USS McCampbell commander, Cmdr. Ed Angelinas, has been tapped to serve as the McCain’s acting commander, the Navy said. USS Antietam Chief Engineer Lt. Cmdr. Ray Ball will become acting executive officer.
The Navy’s Pacific leadership has been shaken up since a string of accidents in the region resulted in several leaders being removed from their positions.
In January, the USS Antietam ran aground and spilled roughly 1,100 gallons of hydraulic fluid into Tokyo Bay.
In May, the USS Lake Champlain collided with a South Korean fishing boat while operating off the east coast of the divided peninsula. In June, a collision between the USS Fitzgerald and a Philippine-flagged merchant ship killed seven sailors.
The commanding officers of the Antietam and Fitzgerald were relieved of their duties. The commanders of 7th Fleet, Task Force 70 and Destroyer Squadron 15 were also relieved after the collisions.
Last month, Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Scott Swift announced he would retire after learning he would not be tapped to lead U.S. Pacific Command.
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©2017 the Stars and Stripes. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Pentagon watchdog launches 'evaluation' of what US troops are actually doing at the southern border
The Defense Department's Inspector General's Office has launched an "evaluation" of the deployment of active-duty and National Guard troops to the southern border, a news release said Tuesday.
"We will examine, among other issues, what they are doing at the border, what training they received, and whether their use complied with applicable law, DoD policy, and operating guidance," said Glenn Fine, the principal deputy inspector general performing the duties of the inspector general, in the release.
The controversial 'widows tax' on Gold Star family benefits is closer to repeal than ever before
Gold Star family members might finally see an end to the so-called "Widows Tax" thanks to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2020.
Nearly 175 Saudi military aviation students grounded in US after NAS Pensacola shooting
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nearly 175 Saudi Arabian military aviation students have been grounded as part of a "safety stand-down" after a Saudi Air Force lieutenant shot and killed three people last week at a U.S. Navy base in Florida, U.S. officials told Reuters on Tuesday.
The number of substantiated allegations of sexual misconduct against Army brass rose this year
The number of substantiated allegations of sexual misconduct against senior Army officials increased this year, according to an Army Inspector General report recently presented to service leaders and obtained by Task & Purpose.
The document, which lays out broad details of IG investigations undertaken in fiscal year 2019, looks at investigations specific to senior Army officials, which includes "promotable colonels, general officers and senior executives," according to Army spokesman Lt. Col. Emanuel Ortiz.
The US plans on holding its largest European military exercises in 25 years
MONS, Belgium (Reuters) - The United States will send 20,000 troops to Europe next April and May in its biggest military exercises on European soil since the Cold War to underscore Washington's commitment to NATO, a senior allied commander said on Tuesday.
Days after a NATO summit in London at which U.S. President Donald Trump called low-spending European allies "delinquent", U.S. Major General Barre Seguin said the exercises, centered on Germany, will be the largest of their kind in 25 years.
"This really demonstrates transatlantic unity and the U.S. commitment to NATO," Seguin, who oversees allied operations from NATO's military headquarters in Belgium, told Reuters.