Yemen Monitor/Washington/Exclusive:
The US Navy on Friday dismissed the commander of a guided-missile destroyer, part of a carrier strike group deployed in the Middle East to counter Houthi attacks on shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The Houthis are an Iranian-backed group in Yemen, according to the military newspaper Stars and Stripes.
The daily newspaper reported that “Commander Cameron Yeast was relieved of his duties as commanding officer of the USS John S. McCain, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer currently operating in the Gulf of Oman.”
Navy Admiral Christopher Alexander, commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group, took this action, citing a “loss of confidence in the leadership of the guided-missile destroyer.”
“Loss of confidence” is a vague phrase often used throughout the US military to describe the dismissal of a commanding officer without providing a clear explanation. Reasons for dismissing Navy commanders in the past due to a “lack of confidence” have ranged from ineffective leadership and mistreatment of crew members to off-duty misconduct, such as drinking with subordinates or being arrested for driving under the influence.
Alexander announced that Captain Allison Christie, deputy commander of Destroyer Squadron 21, had assumed temporary command of the destroyer.
The Navy said in a statement that “there is no impact on the ship’s mission or schedule due to the relief.”
Yeast assumed command of the McCain in October 2023. The Navy said he would return to Naval Base Everett, Washington, for temporary administrative duties.
Since the end of last year, the Houthis have been targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, and recently expanded their operations to the Indian Ocean. They said they are targeting ships linked to Israel, which is launching a brutal attack on Gaza Strip. However, the Yemeni government and experts say the Houthis’ goals are domestic, aimed at escaping internal crises and improving their image in the region.
In response, the US and UK have been launching airstrikes against Iranian-backed Houthi militants since January 11. As a result, the Houthis announced an expansion of their operations to include US and British ships.
From November to August, the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) recorded more than 220 attacks on US commercial or military ships off the coast of Yemen, including nearly 120 attacks since the start of US airstrikes on the Yemeni mainland.
