US Navy officer who 'misnavigated' into Iran and got ten of his men captured at gunpoint in televised debacle is FIRED

[superbeets]

[h=1]US Navy officer who 'misnavigated' into Iran and got ten of his men captured at gunpoint in televised debacle is FIRED[/h]

• Ten Navy sailors were held in Iran after drifting into Iranian waters January
• Defense secretary Ash Carter said that the crews had 'misnavigated'
• Executive officer of the squadron Cmdr. Eric Rasch has now been fired
• Navy 'lost confidence' in Rasch who 'failed to provide effective leadership'
• Commander was reassigned and Navy said others may face disciplinaries
• Account of incident says crew 'drifted' into Iran and were 'held at gunpoint'
• Images of the sailors surrendering to the IRGC were broadcast globally
• Diplomatic standoff that ensued nearly scuttled the U.S.-Iran nuclear deal

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[superbeets]

By HANNAH PARRY FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 01:09, 13 May 2016 | UPDATED: 02:26, 13 May 2016




The Navy has fired a commander whose blunder caused Navy boats to stray into Iranian waters in the Persian Gulf, prompting a diplomatic standoff that led to the capture of 10 American sailors.
Cmdr. Eric Rasch was the executive officer of the squadron when they 'misnavigated' into the Islamic republic's territory last January.
The nine men and a woman were detained by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Farsi Island - a top secret Iranian government facility - for 16 hours before they were released.
The diplomatic debacle that ensued had almost scuttled the U.S.-Iran nuclear deal at the 11th hour.



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[superbeets]

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Cmdr. Eric Rasch (left and right) was the executive officer of the squadron when they 'misnavigated' into the Islamic republic's territory last January

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The nine men and a woman were detained at gun point - and images of their embarrassing surrender was released on Iranian television (pictured)



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[superbeets]

In a statement Thursday, the Navy said it had lost confidence in Rasch, who was responsible for the training and readiness of the more than 400 sailors in the unit.
A Navy official said Rasch failed to provide effective leadership, leading to a lack of oversight, complacency and failure to maintain standards in the unit.
The official was not authorized to discuss the details publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity.


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Rasch has been relieved of his command duties and reassigned, the Navy said.
Although this is the first firing by the Navy regarding the incident, several other sailors received administrative reprimands. The investigation is expected to be finished by the end of the month, and others are likely to be disciplined.
Rasch was promoted to commander of the unit in April - after the Iran incident occurred, but before the preliminary investigation was done.
The sailors, were detained after their boat drifted into Iranian waters off Farsi Island, an outpost in the middle of the Persian Gulf that has been used as a base for Revolutionary Guard speedboats since the 1980s.


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[superbeets]

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Iranian soldiers held the nine American men and one woman (pictured) at gunpoint and had a 'verbal exchange' before they were released, according to the account released by U.S. Central Command

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Iran captured these two Riverine patrol boats near Farsi Island after accusing them of trying to spy on their operations, though the U.S. maintain they were there in error



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[superbeets]

The sailors were on two small armed vessels, known as riverine command boats, on a 300-mile journey from Kuwait to Bahrain, where the Navy's 5th Fleet is located.
The incident, while brief, raised tensions between the U.S. and Iran because of images Iran published of the soldiers kneeling with their hands on their heads.
The humiliating images of the crew surrendering to the IRGC were broadcast on Iran's state TV and then sent around the world.
They were then seen huddled in bare room, while the female soldier was forced to wear a head scarf while she was detained.
It caused political uproar at home, coming on the day of President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address and months after the signing of a deal with Iran to curb its nuclear program in exchange for relief from financial penalties.
John Kerry said he was 'furious' about footage of the American sailors on their knees which was screened on Iranian television.
Speaking to Fox News in January, the Secretary of State said 'I was furious about it, and I immediately contacted my counterpart. And we indicated our disgust.'
He added: 'It was very, very unfortunate, inappropriate. And as a former sailor, and member of the military, I was infuriated by it and I expressed that very directly to my counterpart.'
Navy Capt. Gary Leigh, commander of Riverine Group 1, decided to fire Rasch after Leigh reviewed the initial investigation. A Navy official said no action has been taken, at least so far, against Cmdr. Greg Meyer, who was serving as commander of the squadron when the incident happened. He is no longer in a command job.


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[superbeets]

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The Navy has fired Rasch after his blunder caused the Navy boats to stray into Iranian waters in the Persian Gulf, prompting a diplomatic standoff that led to the capture of 10 American sailors (pictured)

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The only items missing from their recovered boats were SIM cards for two satellite phones, the account said



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[superbeets]

Defense Secretary Ash Carter told reporters the crew had 'misnavigated' into the Islamic republic's territory and were trying to fix the problem when the revolutionary guard took them into custody.
An initial account said the 'planned transit path for the mission was down the middle of the Gulf and not through the territorial waters of any country other than Kuwait and Bahrain.'
That account said the crew stopped when a diesel engine in one of the boats appeared to have a mechanical issue. The second boat also stopped.
At this point they were in Iranian territorial waters, 'although it's not clear the crew was aware of their exact location,' the report said.
While the boats were stopped and the crew was trying to assess the mechanical problem, two small Iranian craft carrying armed personnel approached. Soon after, they were joined by two more Iranian military vessels. A verbal exchange ensued between the Iranians and Americans, but there was no gunfire.
The sailors had been scheduled to meet up with a U.S. Coast Guard ship, the Monomoy, in international waters to refuel. But about 10 minutes before the refueling was supposed to take place, the Navy headquarters in Bahrain got a report that Iranians were questioning the crew members.
Soon afterward, the Navy lost communications with the boats.
The Navy launched a large-scale search-and-rescue mission, but it is not clear whether the Americans had already been taken ashore on Farsi Island. The Iranians eventually told the U.S. that the 10 sailors were safe and healthy.
Secretary of State John Kerry, in a series of phone calls, used the personal relationship he has formed with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to work out the crews' release. Kerry credited the quick resolution to the 'critical role diplomacy plays in keeping our country secure and strong.'


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[Coldweather]

Obama is behind this crap. He is treating this embarrassment as if it were a floccinaucinihilipilifica or something. F him!

 

[superbeets]

Guessers Hero's

 

[superbeets]

Guesser and other ragheads gloated at this

 

[Seymour]

I refuse to believe that Iran does this if Trump was President

 

[The Guesser]

I refuse to believe that Iran does this if Trump was President

You're right. They parade the sailors down Baghdad streets for weeks, then jail/and or kill them if Drumpf was POTUS. Thank G-d we had a POTUS that had opened diplomatic channels with them somewhat.

 

[Coldweather]

Trump is the only hope unless u think the war on women is huge!

 

[superbeets]

You're right. They parade the sailors down Baghdad streets for weeks, then jail/and or kill them if Drumpf was POTUS. Thank G-d we had a POTUS that had opened diplomatic channels with them somewhat.

A coward POTUS aka Obama is leaving the White House thank GOD. No more embarrassment of US FORCES. No more Cowardice. No more apologising to ragheads.

 

[superbeets]

You're right. They parade the sailors down Baghdad streets for weeks, then jail/and or kill them if Drumpf was POTUS. Thank G-d we had a POTUS that had opened diplomatic channels with them somewhat.

See what happens to Iran on Trumps watch if they capture, parade, kill US Forces. No more cowering to ragheads. No more Cairo speeches.

 

[superbeets]

You're right. They parade the sailors down Baghdad streets for weeks, then jail/and or kill them if Drumpf was POTUS. Thank G-d we had a POTUS that had opened diplomatic channels with them somewhat.

Guessers America is one that is subservient to ragheads.


They days of kowtowing to ragheads is over.

 

[busterhyman]

diplomatic standoff that nearly scuttled us-iran nuclear deal-yea right.

 

[Willie99]

too bad the deal wasn't "scuttled"

the least prepared man in the room probably made more concessions to keep the deal alive, while the Iranians were laughing at the idiot actually thinking they might back out of their dream deal

 

[Dave007inVegas]

You're right. They parade the sailors down Baghdad streets for weeks, then jail/and or kill them if Drumpf was POTUS. Thank G-d we had a POTUS that had opened diplomatic channels with them somewhat.

How’s that working out? You’re a fool.