Navy Relieves Officer Once Pictured Shooting Rifle With Backwards Scope From Ship Command

The U.S. Navy relieved an officer who was once photographed firing a weapon with an attached scope facing the wrong direction from the command of a missile destroyer ship on Friday.

Rear Adm. Christopher Alexander, commander of the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, relieved Cmdr. Cameron Yaste of his duties as the commanding officer of the USS John McCain, citing a “loss of confidence” in his ability to command the ship. Yaste and the Navy were ridiculed in April after he was pictured in a since-deleted Navy social media post firing a rifle with a scope that was attached to the weapon facing the wrong way.

“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,” the Navy said in a statement announcing the move. “Yaste reported to assume the role as John S. McCain’s commanding officer in October 2023. He has now been temporarily reassigned to Naval Surface Group Northwest.”

The ship is presently on a deployment in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, a zone that includes the Arabian gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, segments of the Indian Ocean, and several pivotal points of the Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab al-Mandeb, according to the Navy. The Iran-backed Houthi terrorists have repeatedly attacked commercial vessels and American forces operating in the area since Hamas started its ongoing war with Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

The Navy’s statement did not provide any details on specific factors or incidents that may have contributed to the decision to relieve Yaste.

The Navy did not respond immediately to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.