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.
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