USS Pinckney CMC relieved of duty - Could we see more of this?

SGM Matthew Quick — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 22:09:18 -0400

Reliefs seem to be occurring more frequently as the military continues its downsizing...will we see more reliefs for lack of confidence of leadership abilities?

The command master chief of the San Diego-based guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney has been relieved of duty, the Navy said in a statement Monday.

Command Master Chief Ralph S. Crowder III was relieved by Carrier Strike Group 9 commander Rear Adm. Patrick Piercey due to a loss of confidence in Crowder's ability to fulfill his role and responsibilities, the statement said.

Crowder, of Baltimore, Md., had been the Pinckney's command master chief since February 2013. He previously served on the USS Nimitz, USS Carl Vinson and the USS John C. Stennis. His awards include the Navy Commendation Medal and Navy Achievement Medal.

In April, the Pinckney assisted in the search for the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing weeks earlier. In July, the destroyer joined ships and aircraft of the USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group to participate in drills with the South Korean military.

Command Master Chief Medea Dudley has been appointed the Pinckney's enlisted leader.

http://www.stripes.com/news/navy/uss-pinckney-cmc-relieved-of-duty-1.357824

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Jul 14 at 2015 10:12 PM

Capt Seid Waddell — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 22:12:31 -0400

Any idea why Rear Adm. Patrick Piercey lost confidence in CMC Crowder?

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 14 at 2015 10:17 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 22:17:38 -0400

If there's a legitimate reason, such as toxic leadership, inability to lead his Sailors (or soldiers, marines, or airmen), or a personal mistake, it's warranted. I'm sure the relieving officer will let the incoming CMC know what occurred, and hopefully the incoming Chief can take the appropriate action to fix the issues.

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Jul 14 at 2015 10:52 PM

Capt Seid Waddell — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 22:52:23 -0400

I worked for an outstanding Col. at Eglin AFB in the late '60s. He said that he had been relieved of command of a base in Germany while still enroute to replace the previous commander.

It seemed that the previous commander was strict on scramble times in order to maintain high operational readiness ratings. Weather was not allowed to delay a scramble, and the weather in Germany was frequently terrible. Two interceptors were scrambled and took off into the teeth of a storm and went down with loss of aircrew. The commander was relieved of his command.

Then the weather was bad again when my commander was enroute to take command of the base; two more interceptors were scrambled and took off into the teeth of the storm following established procedures, and were also lost. Someone's head had to roll for it, and my commander was fired before he even reached the base to take over.

Fortunately, it didn't seem to have hurt his career; he was one of the best officers I had the privilege of serving under.

Response by CW4 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 14 at 2015 11:15 PM

CW4 Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 23:15:12 -0400

If I said I was suprised then I would be lying.

Response by COL Charles Williams made Jul 14 at 2015 11:26 PM

COL Charles Williams — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 23:26:26 -0400

SGM Matthew Quick I don't think it is more frequent... I think we just have better access to everyone's business. Commanders and senior NCOs have been getting relieved for as long as I can remember... Look at how a Union General lasted in the Civil War. It seems in these times of mass media 24/7... someone is relieved daily... I am not sure it is more often.

Response by PO1 Donald Hammond made Jul 15 at 2015 2:21 AM

PO1 Donald Hammond — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 02:21:22 -0400

To be honest, I think a lot of it is that the PC leadership in DC is driving this. Seems that if you say something out of line with their thinking, you are fired. A "poor command climate" can mean so many things. Is it just the CMC's fault? No. That would go all the way up to the CO. If they can show that the CMC is contributing to the bad attitude on board (I always had a bad attitude, so did most of the nukes I knew) then yeh. But the XO probably should have been discussing the issues with the CMC long before it got to this point.

Response by Cpl Tou Lee Yang made Jul 15 at 2015 6:49 AM

Cpl Tou Lee Yang — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 06:49:41 -0400

This is nothing new, I've had two Commanding Officer get relieved. So having an Enlisted relieved of duty is not as shocking. I know in the Navy there's no such thing as leadership. As the saying goes, "Rank has its privileges" in the Navy where everyone is segregated according to rank.

Response by PO1 John Miller made Jul 15 at 2015 12:46 PM

PO1 John Miller — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 12:46:59 -0400

If CMC Crowder was relieved "after poor command climate results landed on the heels of an equal opportunity complaint filed against him..." I would have to say it was justified. The Navy takes EO complaints VERY seriously and this is one of the few times (in my opinion) that an accused Sailor is "innocent until proven guilty."

Response by PO2 David Johnson made Aug 15 at 2015 12:29 PM

PO2 David Johnson — Sat, 15 Aug 2015 12:29:55 -0400

It takes a lot to be a command master chief, so if he got relieved of duty it was for a good reason, he may have been too friendly with his subordinates and not running his command appropriately and sometimes that's all it takes