--- title: "Navy fires commanding officer, command master chief of expeditionary security squadron" description: "The commanding officer and command master chief were relieved “due to a loss of confidence in their ability to perform leadership duties.”" date: "2025-04-11" modified: "2025-04-11" authors: - name: "Jeff Schogol" job_title: "Senior Pentagon Reporter" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/jeff-schogol.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/navy-fires-expeditionary-security-squadron/" categories: - "Military Branches" - "Navy" - "News" --- # Navy fires commanding officer, command master chief of expeditionary security squadron ![Navy firings 4.11.2025]() *Navy Cmdr. Brett Robblee (left) and Command Master Chief Felix Phillips (right) were relieved as Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron 4’s commanding officer and senior enlisted leader respectively. Navy photos.* Both the commanding officer and command master chief of Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron 4**,** based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, were fired on Friday, the Navy announced. Cmdr. Brett Robblee and Command Master Chief Felix Phillips were relieved “due to a loss of confidence in their ability to perform leadership duties,”[ a brief Navy news release says.]() The Navy has not said publicly exactly why Robblee and Phillips were fired. All military branches use the euphemism “loss of confidence” to avoid providing the exact reason why commanding officers and senior enlisted leaders are fired. The vague term encompasses a variety of reasons, including problems at work and personal issues. “The Navy maintains the highest standards for its leaders and holds them accountable when those standards are not met,” the Navy news release says. [According to the Navy](), Maritime Expeditionary Security Forces, which oversee subordinate expeditionary security groups and squadrons, operate at sea and near shore, including in bays and harbors. Their primary role is to conduct security operations in those coastal waterways. Robblee assumed command of the squadron in June and Phillips reported to the unit in October. They have both been temporarily reassigned to the staff at Navy Expeditionary Combat Command. Capt. Jason Labott and Command Master Chief Clayton Alek-Finkelman have assumed the duties of the squadron’s commanding officer and senior enlisted leader respectively. ## The latest on Task & Purpose - **Here is the training that the Army says is** [**no longer mandatory**]() - [**Navy fires**]() **commander of Colorado-based Information Operations Command** - **Firefighters help paratrooper** [**finish jump**]() **after missing the ground** - **Pregnant pilots and aircrew** [**grounded**]() **for first trimester under new Air Force flying rules** - [**Mold**]() **in privatized housing cost this Navy family their health and reenlistment bonus** ## Author Jeff Schogol is the former senior Pentagon reporter for Task & Purpose. He reported on both the Department of Defense as a whole and individual services, covering a variety of topics that include personnel, policy, military justice, deployments, and technology. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]() [Twitter]() ## More - [Navy Fires Florida-Based Helicopter Squadron Commander]() - [Marine helicopter squadron commander fired amid investigation]() - [Chief Master Sergeant At Air Force Nuke Command Fired For Sending Inappropriate Texts]() - [Navy fires recruiting district commanding officer]() - [Navy fires commander of E-2 Hawkeye squadron for “loss of confidence”]() - [Marine Corps fires senior officers and top enlisted leader of Osprey squadron]() - [Navy fires commanding officer of missile submarine USS Wyoming]() - [Navy destroyer USS John Finn’s commanding officer fired]()