Navy: ‘Unprofessional’ actions led to CO firing - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

Navy: ‘Unprofessional’ actions led to CO firing

The commanding officer of Navy Recruiting District Nashville was fired Wednesday, the 15th CO relieved this year and the second in two days.

Cmdr. Jason Strength was “found to have acted in an unprofessional manner” both while on liberty around subordinates as well as in uniform at official Navy events in Chattanooga, Tenn., in June, according to a statement from Navy Recruiting Command.

Strength is the third senior recruiting district leader fired this year, along with two command master chiefs.

The Navy has not disclosed the details of the events that lead to Strength’s firing, but Navy Recruiting Command spokesman Cmdr. Alvin Plexico said there was an investigation, and that Rear Adm. Robin Graf, commander of Navy Recruiting Command, relieved Strength for a loss of confidence in his ability to command.

Strength is now assigned to Navy Operation Support Center in Nashville, and Cmdr. David James, the recruiting district’s executive officer, has been made the commanding officer until a permanent replacement can be found.

Strength could not be reached for comment.

Strength, 43, is a native of Lanett, Ala., and was commissioned 1990 through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps at Georgia Tech.

He was assigned to the destroyer escort Knox in 1991, and later qualified as a surface warfare officer while attached to the frigate Crommelin in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He graduated from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., in 1996 with a master’s degree in operations research. He also served in Naples, Italy, and at Naval Station North Island and Naval Auxiliary Landing Field San Clemente Island, Calif., before he was voluntarily released from active duty in 2000.

Strength spent two years as a reservist before he was reactivated in 2003. He was on the staff of the Commander, Naval Reserve Readiness Command Southeast, during Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. He later became commanding officer of the Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Center in Chattanooga. He was assigned to Navy Personnel Command in Millington, Tenn., before becoming CO of NRD Nashville in June 2009.

Strength has earned two Meritorious Service Medals, two Navy-Marine Corps Commendations Medals and three Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medals, among other commendations.

The Navy is on pace to fire 27 commanding officers this year, which would eclipse the previous high of 26 in 2003.

Strength is the second commanding officer fired this week. Cmdr. Karl Pugh was relieved of the command of the Whidbey Island, Wash.-based Electronic Attack Squadron 141 on Tuesday.