Update | Commander of 7th Fleet relieved of duty as US Navy weighs impact of two crippled destroyers in Asia
Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, the three-star commander of the US 7th Fleet, was relieved of command on Wednesday in connection with four collisions since January
The US Navy has announced the commander of its 7th Fleet, Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, has been dismissed “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command”, after a deadly collision between a destroyer and a tanker off Singapore, the latest in a series of accidents.
“While each of these four incidents is unique, they cannot be viewed in isolation,” said Admiral Scott Swift, commander of the US Pacific Fleet.
He said the Navy will carry out a “deliberate reset” of all its ships in the Pacific, focused on navigation, mechanical systems and bridge resource management. It will include training and an expert assessment of each ship.
The decision to remove Aucoin from the post in Japan came as the US Navy undertakes a fleet-wide global investigation after Monday’s incident involving the USS John S. McCain, which left 10 sailors missing and five injured.
The 7th Fleet, which compromises ships, submarines and aircraft, is the centrepiece of the US military presence in Asia, undertaking sensitive missions such as operations in the South China Sea and around the Korean peninsula.
Aucoin has been commander of the fleet since September 2015 and has been in the navy since 1980. The Navy said Rear Admiral Phil Sawyer, who had already been named to succeed Aucoin earlier, will assume command immediately.
