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“Rear Adm. Mark Edwards, currently serving as director of the Surface Warfare Division, will serve as the acting DCNO until such time as a relief can be identified, nominated and confirmed,” McCreary said.

A source within the Navy Department said there were no allegations of misconduct on the part of Sestak. Rather, he said, the move is being made because of poor command climate.

“Command climate and how people exercise their leadership responsibilities are key priorities for Admiral Mullen,” the source said, “and this position is one of the key jobs that will help determine the success of the Navy, its people, and its future force structure.”

Sestak’s removal is one of the first moves made by Mullen, who was sworn into office on Friday.

Widely viewed as an intellectual within the Navy Department, Sestak has been a key figure in fashioning the Navy’s role in the quadrennial defense reviews conducted by the Pentagon, acting as director for the 2001 Quadrennial Defense Review and in an advisory role for the current review, to be completed in September.

Sestak moved into the DCNO role last October. Before that, according to his official biography, he served as director of the Navy’s Assessment Division/Capability Analysis Group, and was the first director of the CNO’s Navy Operations Group, known as “Deep Blue,” charged with coming up with new and inventive ideas for naval warfare.