Navy Destroyer Commander Relieved of Duty After Photo Shows Him Firing Rifle with Backward Scope

The commander of a Navy destroyer tasked with protecting the San Diego-based aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Middle East has been relieved of duty. This decision comes approximately four months after a photo surfaced showing him firing a rifle with the scope mounted backward.

Cameron Yaste, commanding officer of the destroyer USS John McCain, was removed from his position on Friday, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. The Navy cited a "loss of confidence in his ability to command the guided-missile destroyer" as the reason for his dismissal.

The incident that led to Yaste's removal began in April when a photo posted on the Navy's social media showed him in a firing stance, gripping the rifle with the scope mounted in the wrong direction. The image quickly went viral, generating significant ridicule for the Navy on social media platforms.

"Clear Sight Picture."

The Navy ultimately deleted the post featuring Yaste. "Thank you for pointing out our rifle scope error in the previous post," the Navy later wrote on social media. "Picture has been removed until EMI (extra military instruction) is completed."

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

The Pentagon's decision to send the carriers to the Middle East was motivated by the need to be in position should Israel require assistance in repelling an attack by Iran or other countries. The Roosevelt serves as the flagship of a strike group that includes three Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, each valued at $2 billion and designed to shield carriers from attacks by air, sea, and land.

The U.S. military recently shifted ships in the region. The Pentagon announced that the aircraft carrier Eisenhower, based in Norfolk, Virginia, is returning home after a deployment of over eight months countering strikes from Yemen's Houthi rebels on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. This mission, described by the Navy as its most intense since World War II, will be taken over by the USS Theodore Roosevelt.