Latest news with #Robblee
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Yahoo
Commander, Command Master Chief Fired from Navy Expeditionary Security Squadron
The Navy relieved the commanding officer and top enlisted official of a small boat unit Friday, according to a statement from the service. Cmdr. Brett Robblee and Command Master Chief Felix Phillips were relieved from leadership of Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron 4 by Capt. Christopher Milner, the commander of Maritime Expeditionary Security Group 2, headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The squadron is one of a handful of units that provide "anti-terrorism defense for American assets around the globe using well-trained and highly mobile security forces," according to the MESG 2 website. Read Next: Gen. Caine Has Taken Over as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Robblee's relief, which was officially over a "loss of confidence in his ability to command," appears to be the Navy's third firing of a commanding officer this year. The executive officer of the unit, Cmdr. Dan Ciullo, was not relieved. Loss of confidence is a boilerplate reason provided by the military services that can encompass anything from consistent poor performance by a commander on key evaluations to personal actions like drunken driving. A Navy official told on condition of anonymity that both Robblee and Phillips were fired over performance-based issues and not any misconduct on either of their parts. Based on public announcements, it appears that the Navy fired 14 commanding officers in 2024. In 2023, the official relief total was 15. There are currently around 1,600 commanding officers in the active-duty Navy across all communities. According to his now-removed official Navy biography, Robblee was commissioned after graduating from the Naval Academy in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in economics. Robblee went on to serve aboard the destroyers USS Sterett and USS Stethem, as well as a mine countermeasure ship and the cruiser USS Princeton. Robblee's biography does not list his awards beyond noting that he has "received various personal, unit and campaign awards." Phillips' now-removed official biography says that he enlisted in the Navy from Greenwood, Mississippi, in August 1996. After completing boot camp, Phillips was assigned to Naval Activity Support Adak, Alaska, before moving on to tours aboard the aircraft carriers USS Carl Vinson and USS Harry S. Truman, as well as the amphibious assault ships USS Iwo Jima and USS Ponce. His assignment as command master chief was at Airborne Command and Control Squadron 121 in Norfolk, Virginia. Phillips' personal awards include two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals and five Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, as well as numerous other unit and campaign awards. According to the Navy's statement, Capt. Jason Labott, deputy commander for MESG 2, will temporarily serve as MSRON 4's commanding officer. Similarly, Command Master Chief Clayton Alek-Finkelman, former command master chief for MESG 2, is assuming the duties of command master chief for the squadron. Both Robblee and Phillips have been temporarily reassigned to the staff at Navy Expeditionary Combat Command. Related: Commander in Top Colorado Information Operations Post Sacked by Navy
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Navy fires commanding officer, command master chief of expeditionary security squadron
Both the commanding officer and command master chief of Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron 4, based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, were fired on Friday, the Navy announced. Cmdr. Brett Robblee and Command Master Chief Felix Phillips were relieved 'due to a loss of confidence in their ability to perform leadership duties,' a brief Navy news release says. The Navy has not said publicly exactly why Robblee and Phillips were fired. All military branches use the euphemism 'loss of confidence' to avoid providing the exact reason why commanding officers and senior enlisted leaders are fired. The vague term encompasses a variety of reasons, including problems at work and personal issues. 'The Navy maintains the highest standards for its leaders and holds them accountable when those standards are not met,' the Navy news release says. According to the Navy, Maritime Expeditionary Security Forces, which oversee subordinate expeditionary security groups and squadrons, operate at sea and near shore, including in bays and harbors. Their primary role is to conduct security operations in those coastal waterways. Robblee assumed command of the squadron in June and Phillips reported to the unit in October. They have both been temporarily reassigned to the staff at Navy Expeditionary Combat Command. Capt. Jason Labott and Command Master Chief Clayton Alek-Finkelman have assumed the duties of the squadron's commanding officer and senior enlisted leader respectively. Here is the training that the Army says is no longer mandatory Navy fires commander of Colorado-based Information Operations Command Firefighters help paratrooper finish jump after missing the ground Pregnant pilots and aircrew grounded for first trimester under new Air Force flying rules Mold in privatized housing cost this Navy family their health and reenlistment bonus
