According to this report, yesterday (27 October) Obama
ordered the immediate removal of Rear Admiral Charles M. Gaouette from
his command of the powerful Carrier Strike Group Three (CSG-3) currently
located in the Middle East .
CSG-3 is one of five US Navy carrier
strike groups currently assigned to the US Pacific Fleet. US Navy
carrier strike groups are employed in a variety of roles, which involve
gaining and maintaining sea control and projecting power ashore, as well
as projecting naval airpower ashore.
The aircraft carrier USS John C.
Stennis (CVN-74) is the strike group’s current flagship, and as of 2012,
other units assigned to Carrier Strike Group Three include Carrier Air
Wing Nine; the guided-missile cruisers USS Mobile Bay (CG-53) and USS
Antietam (CG-54); and the ships of Destroyer Squadron 21, the
guided-missile destroyers USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG-108), USS Dewey
(DDG-105), USS Kidd (DDG-100), and USS Milius (DDG-69).
US news reports on Obama’s
unprecedented firing of a powerful US Navy Commander during wartime
state that Admiral Gaouette’s removal was for “allegations of
inappropriate leadership judgment” that arose during the strike group’s
deployment to the Middle East .
This GRU report, however, states that
Admiral Gaouette’s firing by President Obama was due to this strike
force commander disobeying orders when he ordered his forces on 11
September to “assist and provide intelligence for” American military
forces ordered into action by US Army General Carter Ham, who was then
the commander of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), against
terrorist forces attacking the American Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
General Ham had been in command of the
initial 2011 US-NATO military intervention in Libya who, like Admiral
Gaouette, was fired by Obama. And as we can, in part, read from US
military insider accounts of this growing internal conflict between the
White House and US Military leaders:
“The information I heard today was
that General [Carter] Ham as head of Africom received the same e-mails
the White House received requesting help/support as the attack was
taking place. General Ham immediately had a rapid response unit ready
and communicated to the Pentagon that he had a unit ready.
General Ham then received the order to
stand down. His response was to screw it, he was going to help anyhow.
Within 30 seconds to a minute after making the move to respond, his
second in command apprehended General Ham and told him that he was now
relieved of his command.”
