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USS John S. McCain Commander Relieved for “Loss of Confidence”

Navy commander
Cameron Yaste during a ceremony aboard John S. McCain in March 2024 (US Navy photo)

Published Aug 31, 2024 3:09 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

The commanding officer of a U.S. Navy warship who infamously became the subject of social media ridicule due to firing an M-4 rifle with the optic mounted backward has been relieved of his command. Cmdr. Cameron Yaste was removed from his duties as the commanding officer of the guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain the Navy announced on August 30.

The Navy kept to its now familiar tradition of not giving any details or reasons for relieving top warship commanders, only stating that Yaste had been removed due to a “loss of confidence” and has now been temporarily reassigned to Naval Surface Group Northwest. Yaste served as the commander of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer for less than a year having assumed the duties in October 2023.

John S. McCain is currently in deployment in the Middle East where it has been operating since April while assigned to the U.S. Fifth Fleet. Capt. Allison Christy, deputy commodore of Destroyer Squadron 21, has temporarily assumed command of the destroyer.

“The Navy holds commanding officers to the highest standards and holds them accountable when those standards are not met. Naval leaders are entrusted with significant responsibilities to their sailors and their ships,” said the Navy in its statement.

Unconfirmed reports said the dismissal was due to a number of navigation and maintenance issues with the McCain. The vessel reportedly had an incident during an underway refueling in July which the Navy is said to have cited along with the other issues as the reason for reassigning Yaste from his command.

In April this year, Yaste found himself in uncharted waters after the Navy posted his photo on its official Instagram account holding a rifle and looking through a scope that was clearly mounted backward. “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,” said the Navy in the post.

Keen observers, including the Marine Corps, were quick to point out the mistake igniting widespread ridicule and prompting the Navy to delete the photo. “Even Hollywood gets this right. We are doomed,” wrote one X user.

 

 

Yaste has now been relieved as John S. McCain’s commander, a guided-missile destroyer that last month marked three decades in active duty having been commissioned in July 1994. The warship has had a checkered career. In August 2017, the destroyer was badly damaged following a collision with merchant tanker Alnic MC off Singapore causing the deaths of 10 sailors.

The fallout from the collision resulted in the entire leadership team being fired and the captain being fined. The inquiry into the collision found multiple causes including bridge system design flaws, overtasking, undermanning, and incomplete training. It took two years of extensive repairs in Japan before the warship could return to active duty. It became the subject of another controversy in 2019 when it was removed from view during an event with then President Donald Trump.

Assigned to the U.S. 5th fleet, the warship’s key mission is supporting maritime security and stability in the Middle East region. It operates in a vast area encompassing approximately 2.5 million square miles of water space and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean, and three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal, and the Bab al-Mandeb.