The Navy relieved a commanding officer assigned to a destroyer in the Middle East Friday, the sea service announced.
Rear Adm. Christopher Alexander, commander of the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, relieved Cmdr. Cameron Yaste from his role as the commanding officer of USS John S. McCain (DDG-56). McCain is part of Destroyer Squadron 23, embarked on USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71).
Capt. Allison Christy, deputy commodore for Destroyer Squadron 21 – currently embarked on USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), also in the Middle East – temporarily assumed command of McCain, according to a Navy release.
A Navy official told USNI News the relief was not due to personal misconduct. Yaste did not immediately respond to a message from USNI News.
Yaste assumed command of McCain in October 2023, according to the Navy release. He previously served approximately a year and a half as McCain‘s executive officer before assuming command, according to his Navy biography. Yaste commissioned in 2006 and previously served on USS Hopper (DDG-70) and USS Bataan (LHD-5).
“The Navy holds commanding officers to the highest standards and holds them accountable when those standards are not met,” reads the release. “Naval leaders are entrusted with significant responsibilities to their Sailors and their ships.”
