Navy destroyer commander relieved of duty after photo sparked ridicule

The commander of a Navy destroyer who was photographed firing a rifle whose scope was pointing backward was relieved of duty last week, the service has confirmed.

Cameron Yaste, commanding officer of the destroyer USS John S. McCain, was removed on Friday “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command the guided-missile destroyer,” according to a Navy statement.

Yaste was relieved by Rear Adm. Christopher Alexander, commander of the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group. 

The San Diego Union-Tribune first reported the firing, which comes as the USS John McCain is helping protect the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Gulf of Oman, a deployment that comes amid tense regional disputes in the Middle East.

Yaste took on the role of John S. McCain’s commanding officer less than a year ago in October. The service did not elaborate further as to the nature of his removal.

“The Navy holds commanding officers to the highest standards and holds them accountable when those standards are not met,” according to the statement, which adds that Yaste has been temporarily reassigned to Naval Surface Group Northwest.

Four months ago, Yaste was seen in a photo firing a rifle whose scope was mounted backward. The image, posted to social media, brought the Navy plenty of ridicule, including from the Marine Corps. The post was later deleted.

Yaste has been temporarily replaced by Capt. Allison Christy, the deputy commodore of Destroyer Squadron 21. That squadron is part of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, also currently in the Gulf of Oman.

The U.S. military ordered the two carrier strike groups to the Middle East earlier this year to aid Israel should it be attacked by Iran or its proxies amid the ongoing war in Gaza.