NAPS commander relieved of duty

From: NavyTimes.com

NAPS CO fired for loss of confidence

Staff report
Posted : Monday Aug 31, 2009 17:25:45 EDT

The commander of Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, R.I., was relieved of command Monday, the Naval Academy announced.

NAPS commander Capt. Leland Sebring was relieved by Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Adm. Jeffrey Fowler for loss of confidence in Sebring’s ability to command, said Naval Academy spokesman Cmdr. Joe Carpenter.

Carpenter said Sebring was not guilty of misconduct, but the spokesman would not give additional details about what led to Sebring’s relief.

NAPS is charged with getting students ready to become first year midshipmen at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. About 300 students spend 10 months studying in Newport before beginning their plebe year at the Naval Academy.

Sebring, a surface warfare officer, took command of NAPS in July 2007. He has not been given a new assignment, Carpenter said.

According to his official biography, he was commissioned in 1980 from Officer Candidate School. His assignments included service aboard the destroyer John Rodgers; the frigate Doyle; the destroyer Scott; the cruiser Chancellorsville; and command of the frigate George Philip.

Capt. Anthony Barnes, the Naval Academy’s diversity officer and NAPS liaison officer, has temporarily assumed duties as NAPS’s commanding officer.

tpg said:

But if that was the case, I would have to question VADM Fowler as to why he was interfering with the command of the school so much.

Then again, I am not too surprised as VADM Fowler and his actions at USNA have been less than impressive to me. Oh well, the Academy has survived worse and will continue to do so.

I do note that it is an interesting choice in who was selected to be the new CO though.

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If the performance of the prep school was not up to standards to whom would fall the responsibility to correct the situation?

What about VADM Fowler has failed to meet your standards?

Why is the new CO an interesting choice?

tpg, last week one of our moderators made the following very pertinent comment on another thread:

It's pretty arrogant to pass judgement on the appropriateness of handling something via one of the legitimate methods available to do so without some basic facts which thankfully are not usually publicly aired. I would presume that the Commandant of Cadets has a fair amount of experience as an O6 commander and gets plenty of advice from his legal staff on how to handle legal cases and without any additional facts what basis does of any one posting here have to second guess that decision?

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Apparently, the commanding officer of the prep school works directly for the Superintendent of the Naval Academy. Unless you are able to submit additional information to support your accusations, the above statement probably also applies to your comments concerning the appropriateness of VADM Fowler's actions.

USNA DAD 2014 said:

From: NavyTimes.com

NAPS CO fired for loss of confidence

Staff report
Posted : Monday Aug 31, 2009 17:25:45 EDT

The commander of Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, R.I., was relieved of command Monday, the Naval Academy announced.

NAPS commander Capt. Leland Sebring was relieved by Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Adm. Jeffrey Fowler for loss of confidence in Sebring’s ability to command, said Naval Academy spokesman Cmdr. Joe Carpenter.

Carpenter said Sebring was not guilty of misconduct, but the spokesman would not give additional details about what led to Sebring’s relief.

NAPS is charged with getting students ready to become first year midshipmen at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. About 300 students spend 10 months studying in Newport before beginning their plebe year at the Naval Academy.

Sebring, a surface warfare officer, took command of NAPS in July 2007. He has not been given a new assignment, Carpenter said.

According to his official biography, he was commissioned in 1980 from Officer Candidate School. His assignments included service aboard the destroyer John Rodgers; the frigate Doyle; the destroyer Scott; the cruiser Chancellorsville; and command of the frigate George Philip.

Capt. Anthony Barnes, the Naval Academy’s diversity officer and NAPS liaison officer, has temporarily assumed duties as NAPS’s commanding officer.

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Nothing about this struck me as out of norms for similar occurrences I've seen.

"Loss of confidence" leading to relief of the CO from command by the reporting senior (the Supe) can cover anything from command inspection results in a critical area were simply unacceptable, a personal issue under investigation, to mismanagement of government funds, or a case of "the CO knew or should have known" that something unacceptable was happening at his/her command. Could be an entire range of performance or administrative issues serious enough to warrant that type of action. May or may not be a misconduct issue, but the reporting senior, the Supe, has the authority to effect a relief for cause if he thinks it is warranted.

Sending a senior line officer with prior command experience from the Supe's staff to be "temporarily assume" duties as CO is also quite normal. If a ship's CO or naval station CO gets relieved, the reporting senior sends an officer of the appropriate pay-grade and experience from his or her own staff. Looking around at the O-6's available on the Supe's staff, he's not going to send the Commandant but will see where he can afford to temporarily lose some O-6 endstrength with the right experience, while awaiting the assignment of a new permanent CO. It usually has nothing to do with the currently assigned duties of the officer being temporarily assigned.

We may or may not ever hear of the underlying reason for the relief from command. The former CO will be temporarily assigned, most likely to a major staff somewhere, while the issue gets worked out. There are many outcomes possible there, but that's a whole 'nother fat post. A new CO will come in at NAPS and take over from the temporarily assigned CO, and the continuity of command, as well as good order and discipline, will be maintained.

Capt MJ said:

Nothing about this struck me as out of norms for similar occurrences I've seen.

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Thanks. Me neither.

tpg -
that was very cryptic. who made the speech? the author of those views should be credited.
I am trying to read between the lines, but you are losing me. Congressman Cummings is a Black man. Are you saying he asked Adm Fowler to fire Capt Sebring? Does this have anything to do with the Navy and the Naval Academy and their "diversity policies"?
To the best of my knowledge the Commandants of the prep schools don't take part in the selection process, that is handled by Academy admissions.

Cummins has his hands in a few things, and focuses on "diversity" with multiple agencies. I will reserve my personal feelings regarding the congressman now.

Just_A_Mom said:

tpg -
that was very cryptic. who made the speech? the author of those views should be credited.
I am trying to read between the lines, but you are losing me. Congressman Cummings is a Black man. Are you saying he asked Adm Fowler to fire Capt Sebring? Does this have anything to do with the Navy and the Naval Academy and their "diversity policies"?
To the best of my knowledge the Commandants of the prep schools don't take part in the selection process, that is handled by Academy admissions.

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Confusing? Sounds like you're calling someone a racist?

Now I'm really confused???

Folks, if you want to continue this discussion -- which you are certainly free to do -- please take it to one of the forums that is more appropriate. This one is for discussion of NAPS and other prep schools, not USN diversity policy.

Thanks.

Just a personal observation that adds nothing to the "Why" of it all.

I was tasked to coordinate a reunion of NAPS graduates last year. All was well until about a month prior to the event. The NAPS O-2 (low rank for the rest of you) I was coordinating with THEN told me many of the promises were now off because of the Base rules for hosting an event had changed (in the last 2 weeks). At this point, airline tickets had been purchased, deposits in place, and basically we couldn't even get on base. Obviously not the fault of NAPS or my liaison, and nothing that could have been anticipated. Having exhausted the resources of the O-2, I asked if the CO could be notified of our problems.
Within hours the NAPS CO contacted me and assured me that the O-2 was correct in her evaluation that the rules had changed and if I could send to him, personally, our numbers/dates/schedule.
What happened? CAPT Sebring read the rules and made it happen. How?
He made us his "personal guests". Over 50 personal guests mind you. Pretty clever! Personal guests of the CO have access.
Now here is the part that some of you may dismiss and some will appreciate.
The NAPS CO then attended every tour, every meal (Including a 6:30am Saturday dining hall breakfast), every everything we did.
Now folks, nobody in a MILLION YEARS would check. And CO's have guests ALL THE TIME that tour the base and only have a short visit with the CO. When he SAID we were his guests, he meant it.
This is a guy that supported the alumni and supported his troops. When, through no fault of NAPS, the schedule changed, he took time out of his Friday-Saturday and Sunday to keep it above reproach.
Finally, the "loss-of-confidence" line was also used to stop the promotion of thousands of Naval Aviators who attended Tailhook, including the CO of the Blue Angels. Pretty much all of us were not found guilty. Later, the Blue Angel CO was cleared of wrong doing, but it was over 10 years later. When you need to do something but don't have a ready reason to fill-in-the-"CAUSE"-blank, "Loss of confidence" is the go-to excuse. Best of all, you never need to justify it! Go Military!

On a personal note, although I didn't want to drag this painful subject out further, I appreciate that no-one assumed the CO did something wrong. It is very rare that one learns the actual inside wheelings and dealings of this sort of event. I don't know what the NAPS CO "did", or, equally as likely, "refused to do" to get replaced. I can only tell you that I met him and was helped by him. He didn't help because it was easy or even persoonally beneficial but simply because it was the right thing to do.

Above submitted at the same time as USNA85 remarks.
Apologies if misplaced thread.
JSC