MANAMA, Bahrain - The commanding officer of USS John S. McCain was relieved Aug. 30 due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command the guided-missile destroyer.
The commander of the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, Rear Adm. Christopher Alexander, relieved Cmdr. Cameron Yaste of duties as John S. McCain's commanding officer. 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.
The U.S. 5th fleet area of operations encompasses 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 Strait of Bab al-Mandeb.
