Manama: The commanding officer of Bahrain Naval Support Activity Capt. John Schoeneck on Monday became the 11th Navy commanding officer to be fired in 2009.
The removal of Capt. John Schoeneck, due to a “loss of confidence” in his ability to command was ordered shortly before the end of his tenure, but has “absolutely no relation” with the renewed investigation into hazing and other misconduct at NSA Bahrain in 2006, Lt. Brian Badura, a spokesman for Navy Region Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia, said according to the Navy Times.
Badura did not disclose the specific reasons for the sacking, citing privacy concerns.
Rear Adm. David Mercer, commander of the combined region, made the decision to relieve Schoeneck before December 6, the date of the change of command, after he reviewed the facts involved here and decided that it was in the best overall interests of the Navy, Badura said.
Capt. Enrique Sadsad, who was previously scheduled to assume command will replace
Schoeneck who arrived at NSA Bahrain in November 2008 for a one-year, unaccompanied tour.
Schoeneck, originally from Syracuse, N.Y., was commissioned in 1985 and was trained as a helicopter pilot. In 2002, he was commanding officer of Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron 11.
On assuming his duty in Bahrain on November 17, 2008, he said that "the most important thing a commander thinks about is the safety and security of his personnel."
"In addition to that, I am very much interested in the personal and professional development of our sailors," he said.
Bahrain Naval Support Activity was this year rocked by widespread misconduct scandal following news reports of hazing, prostitute patronizing, gambling and the anti-gay treatment of one master-at-arms assigned to the dog-handling unit.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead in September ordered a fresh review of the Bahrain canine unit and of the 2007 command investigation that confirmed misconduct, but did not result in significant disciplinary actions.
In October, however, the Navy announced that the chief in charge of the security unit, Senior Chief Master-at-Arms Michael Toussaint, 38, will be forced into retirement in January. Toussaint was removed from his post as a dog handler with a SEAL unit and placed on desk duty.
