---
title: "Are Female Navy Commanders Fired For Behaviors That Male Commanders Practice All The Time?"
date: "2018-05-21"
modified: "2018-05-21"
authors:
  - name: "Tom Ricks"
    link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/tom-ricks/"
url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/navy-reliefs-gender-double-standard/"
categories:
  - "Opinion"
tags:
  - "Leadership"
  - "women in military"
---

# Are Female Navy Commanders Fired For Behaviors That Male Commanders Practice All The Time?

![](<https://taskandpurpose.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/02/18988450-1.jpg>)

Cmdr. Tammy Sue Royal, the skipper of the USS Harpers Ferry, was removed for “poor performance jeopardizing ship readiness and is not tied to one specific event,” according to a Navy spokesperson. But Carl Prine notes that [San Diego amphibious commanders have been purged heavily](<https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/military/sd-me-harpers-ferry-20180518-story.html>) in the last year.

This firing made me wonder if anyone has studied Navy reliefs by gender. Do female skippers get fired for “poor leadership” more often than male skippers? I wonder because, in journalism, I know of three women— one at the *Washington Post*, two at the *New York Times* —who were fired for being hardasses. Yes, they were. But would males have been fired for the same behaviors? In my experiences, no.

In other relief news:

- The Navy SEAL officer in charge of [Special Operations Command Forward—East Africa](<https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/11/politics/us-navy-seals-alleged-sexual-misconduct/index.html>) (which I think basically does Somalia) was removed for alleged sexual misconduct, along with his senior enlisted guy. They have been yanked back to the United States while an investigation gets underway.
- An [Air Force colonel](<https://gazette.com/1604869/peterson-air-force-base-colonel-faces-court-martial-in-alleged-sex-assaults/article/1625695>) in Colorado Springs was charged with raping and hitting people.
- The commander of [a wing of C-130s at Dyess](<https://www.reporternews.com/story/news/2018/05/16/dyess-afb-wing-commander-relieved-duty/616964002/>) Air Force Base, Texas, got booted for high toxicity levels.
- The Navy fired the CO of State University of New York (SUNY) Maritime College's NROTC unit, for [“personal misconduct.”](<https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2018/05/08/navy-rotc-unit-commander-at-suny-maritime-college-fired/>)
- The Marines gave the big bounce to the commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 6th Marines, T&P;’s intrepid Jeff Schogol reported.

And finally, in an unusually sickening instance, a civilian psychiatrist hired by the Air Force to help female service members who had been sexually assaulted was charged with [three felony sexual assault cases against his patients](<https://www.military.com/daily-news/2018/05/15/travis-air-force-base-psychiatrist-accused-rape.html>), including rape. I’m against capital punishment, but . . . .

![](<https://taskandpurpose.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/02/image-placeholder-title-217.png>)

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