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Navy fires commander of sailors detained by the Iranians

May 13, 2016 8:40 pm By Robert Spencer

“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.”

It’s unconscionable that the Navy is making Rasch the fall guy for this incident after the Obama Administration pretended that nothing amiss had happened in the first place. After the sailors were released, Vice President Joe Biden dismissed the entire incident as the routine treatment of boats with mechanical difficulties. Denying that the U.S. had apologized to Iran, as had been widely rumored, Biden said: “When you have a problem with the boat, (do) you apologize the boat had a problem? No. And there was no looking for any apology. This was just standard nautical practice.” The sailors were blindfolded, made to kneel at gunpoint, and interrogated for hours. But Biden maintained that the entire situation was routine: “The Iranians picked up both boats — as we have picked up Iranian boats that needed to be rescued.” The Iranians, he said, “realized they were there in distress and said they would release them, and released them — like ordinary nations would do.”

Defense Secretary Ash Carter sounded similar notes, thanking Secretary of State John Kerry “for his diplomatic engagement with Iran to secure our sailors’ swift return. Around the world, the U.S. Navy routinely provides assistance to foreign sailors in distress, and we appreciate the timely way in which this situation was resolved.”

Kerry, in turn, was grateful to the Iranians: “All indications suggest or tell us that our sailors were well taken care of, provided with blankets and food and assisted with their return to the fleet earlier today.” He ascribed the Iranians’ swift release of the sailors to communications channels that had been opened during the nuclear negotiations: “I think we can all imagine how a similar situation might have played out three or four years ago, and in fact it is clear that today this kind of issue was able to be peacefully resolved and officially resolved, and that is a testament to the critical role that diplomacy plays in keeping our country safe, secure and strong.” He thanked the Iranians for their “cooperation and quick response.”

So if everything was that wonderful, why fire Rasch?

sailors

“Navy Fires Commander Eric Rasch Over Iran’s Detention of Sailors,” Associated Press, May 13, 2016:

The Navy has fired the commander of the 10 American sailors who entered Iranian territorial waters in the Persian Gulf and were captured and held by Iran for about 15 hours.

In a statement Thursday, the Navy said it had lost confidence in Cmdr. Eric Rasch, who was the executive officer of the squadron that included the 10 sailors at the time of the January incident. He 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.

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, nine men and one woman, 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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Filed Under: Featured, Iran, United States Tagged With: Eric Rasch


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Comments

  1. Angemon says

    May 13, 2016 at 9:05 pm

    So if everything was that wonderful, why fire Rasch?

    • Susan B says

      May 13, 2016 at 9:21 pm

      This is so scary. Good link.

    • linnte says

      May 13, 2016 at 9:59 pm

      Wow! Where in the world are we going? C’MON NOVEMBER!!!!!!

    • ret7army says

      May 14, 2016 at 10:44 am

      Rasch was the executive officer, the commander’s right-hand-man. As such he was responsible for all of t he day-to-day operations of the unit. Including training, maintenance etc.

      I really hate to take this stance but, in this case yeah. Is it right?

      How can a commander or, as someone in the thread said, a commodore, be expected to attend to all the minutiae of every piddling boat. With the rank comes responsibility. I do not expect the commander of the unit to escape either, if they are going to slam the XO, this long after the fact, then the commander should be looking over his shoulder, and getting his resume ready also.

    • Barry says

      May 14, 2016 at 11:43 pm

      Seriously this young Major should have just polled the men under his command and given them the stats they wanted- Every man and woman asked owned 2 nuclear submarines, 15 Scud Missiles, 1 Abrams tank, 150,000 Assault rifles with at least 2 years worth of ammunition and a couple of hand grenades. Just typical stuff every American owns.

  2. Voytek Gagalka says

    May 13, 2016 at 9:44 pm

    Lies, lies and once again lies from this administration! But truth will always come out into light, sooner or later. It is requiring from us, observers, unbelievable quantity of intellectual gimmicks and reading between the lines, but nothing can hide scrutiny of reason – long range.

  3. mortimer says

    May 13, 2016 at 9:57 pm

    Something’s fishy in the navy…no something’s fishy in the Department of Defense and the presidency.

    Is a commodore supposed to micro-manage every single boat and dinghy? Preposterous.

    • mortimer says

      May 13, 2016 at 10:11 pm

      Correction. Wrong rank…the commander may have provided inaccurate information and thereby become ultimately responsible. It sounds like the punishment is overboard and excessive.

  4. gravenimage says

    May 13, 2016 at 10:44 pm

    Navy fires commander of sailors detained by the Iranians
    ………………………

    I *really* doubt that his surrender to the Iranians was the Commander’s idea. These orders had to come from above.

    Eric Rasch is indeed a fall guy.

    If there is *anything* good to come out of this shameful episode, it is that even this administration finally realizes that this gloating by the Iranians is actually an embarrassment.

  5. mortimer says

    May 13, 2016 at 11:01 pm

    The Iranians seized on an opportunity to be behave high-handedly. They ought to have pointed out to the crews they were off-course and escorted them to international water. Instead, they milked the situation for propaganda. Is seems the blame should be on the Iranians and not Cmdr Rasch. He’s a scapegoat, it seems.

    • Custos Custodum says

      May 15, 2016 at 6:24 am

      TWO POSSIBILITIES:

      (1) IF the crews were indeed off-course, despite having multiple navigation systems (including old-fashioned compass and charts), then Rasch deserves a few years in the brig simply for not instilling minimal standards of seamanship in those under his command.

      (2) IF this was some semi-clandestine operation that somehow went wrong, there may have been a post-op internal review which found that Rash did not perform his duties fully and adequately in the context of the mission. The fact that Rasch was first promoted but then sidelined is consistent with an internal review process leading to him being disciplined.

  6. Mark Spahn (West Seneca, NY) says

    May 13, 2016 at 11:57 pm

    “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.”

    These sentences are very odd. Does this Navy official have a name and rank? If she (he?) was not authorized (by a higher-up in the Navy) to discuss the details publicly, what also prevents her from identifying herself? Did *she*, on her own, tell the Associated Press reporter that if the reporter identified her, she would say nothing about Cmdr. Eric Rasch? Is she violating Navy regulations by keeping her identify secret? Would she be violating Navy regulations by disclosing her name and rank? Isn’t she the very Navy official whose duty it is to make an announcement about Cmdr. Rasch? The word “so” says that she prohibited the AP reporter from identifying her *because* she was not authorized to discuss the details publicly. But there’s no necessary connection between refusing to discuss the details and refusing to state one’s name and rank.

    This anonymity is very puzzling. Anybody got a theory to explain it?

    • Carolyne says

      May 14, 2016 at 10:18 am

      Of course there’s a reason this person was not identified. She/he was a whistleblower who thought the public should know about this but he/she could not reveal his/her identity in fear of retribution by the Obama cabal.

  7. Cecilia Ellis says

    May 14, 2016 at 3:38 am

    Mark, like you, I am suspicious, specifically because the wording that you cited is specific language that would be found in the recommendations of an Investigating Officer, who would have been ordered to conduct an Article 32 investigation into the circumstances involving the capture, detention, and release of a U. S. Navy vessel and its crew, to include findings of fact, conclusions, and recommendations. Upon completion of that investigation, the complete report would be forwarded to the Convening Authority, who would then refer the case for administrative action, refer the case for a military courts-martial or dismiss the case.

    It appears that the Riverine Squadron Commander, CDR Eric Rasch, was relieved for cause as a result of that investigation. Likewise, as the posted article states that more personnel were reprimanded, it appears that those personnel, as well as Rasch, received non-judicial (administrative) punishment. [Note: “Reprimand” is a term most frequently used for commissioned officers. It is a career killer.] Additionally, the posted article states that other personnel will be disciplined.

    Given this information, I suspect that whoever had access to this information did not have authority to release the results officially. However, non-judicial punishment (NJP) proceedings include witnesses, chain-of-command personnel, and, if the subject so desires, someone to speak in his/her behalf. Therefore, any number of people may have had access to information that was given to a reporter.

    Having been assigned to be an Investigating Officer, I was required to adhere to the rules of evidence and to ensure Article 31 rights, etc., in case the results of the investigation culminated in a military courts-martial. No one had access to my investigation until I turned it in to the Convening Authority. I further was prohibited from discussing that investigation with anyone except the Convening Authority.

    I, therefore, believe that any information that has been released thus far to reporters is information that was derived from NJP proceedings conducted already, information that would be known among command members, but not meant for official release to the news media.

    I don’t know if this helps, but it what I know after twenty years of U. S. Navy service. Oh, and there is another thing I know: the Code of Honor.

    The Code of Conduct is required to be memorized by all U. S. Navy personnel at some point in their initial training, whether it be at Boot Camp, at Officer Candidate School (OCS) or at the Naval Academy (USNA). Here is the Code of Conduct:

    I. I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.

    II. I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist.

    III. If I am captured I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.

    IV. If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information or take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades. If I am senior, I will take command. If not, I will obey the lawful orders of those appointed over me and will back them up in every way.

    V. When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am required to give name, rank, service number and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause.

    VI. I will never forget that I am an American, fighting for freedom, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.

    In short, everyone on that boat had, at some point, received instructions on the Code of Honor, including the boat commander, Lieutenant David Nartker, a 2011 graduate of the U. S. Naval Academy.

    Obama, Biden, Kerry and Carter are pathetically wrong, but they are not alone.

    • PRCS says

      May 14, 2016 at 9:39 am

      Excellent synopsis.

      Thank you.

      PRCS

      • Cecilia Ellis says

        May 15, 2016 at 12:43 am

        PRCS, thank you for your kind reply.

    • TopDrifter says

      May 14, 2016 at 12:31 pm

      Excellent Cecilia,
      Being the Retired First Sergeant from the US Army, I concur with your synopsis entirely. Good job explaining the Art 32 Investigation process. The Investigator must be a field grade, non-affiliated with the Unit being investigated. (this rule is violated most regularly due to necessity of brevity and timeliness of the investigation). If an Art 32 investigation was conducted, we see from this article that it was done most improperly and most inappropriately. (the person that conducted this investigation should be undergoing an Art-32 Investigation for this)

      What Military Personnel Need to Know: Past experience of captured Americans reveals that honorable survival in captivity requires that a service member possess a high degree of dedication and motivation. Maintaining these qualities requires knowledge of and a strong belief in the following:
      • The advantages of American democratic institutions and concepts.
      • Love of and faith in the United States and a conviction that the U.S. cause is just.
      • Faith in and loyalty to fellow POWs.
      aside from the Faith and loyalty, the first two are a strong contradiction of what our Commander in Chief and his immediate subordinates ie..Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Navy all above the Commanders in the field are posing. It’s hard for our Military to function when they have leaders (President, Sec State, Sec Def, etc) that are weak and pathetic in the eyes of the world at large. To maintain a real belief in American democratic institutions and concepts, Love of and faith in the United States and a conviction that the United States cause is just, is most difficult for all levels of our Navy, Army, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard and include all National Guard and Reserve components of today’s Military Forces. Our fighting forces have been abandoned by leadership and they all walk a very thin line in conducting their duties for fear of being Courts Martialed for violating the established “Rules of Contact”. Just look at the history of one Arrogant and empty-headed John Kerry “Secretary of State”. Lauded and applauded the Iranians for their capture of the evil American Navy sneaking around on the Open Seas. This man has no place in the midst of any form of American Military, especially the Navy. His Purple Hearts came from self inflicted wounds, caught his thumb in breech of an M-60 Machine Gun and made it bleed, he also fell down and hit his head trying to find a hiding place. (the fire fight was staged especially for him to get his Silver Star (what a joke)…
      Our Military must follow the directions of this self admitted “Traitor”???

      Can anyone spell “Scapegoat”?

      • Cecilia Ellis says

        May 15, 2016 at 12:48 am

        TopDrifter, thank you for your passionate reply! Sadly, I cannot disagree . . .

    • Mark Spahn (West Seneca, NY) says

      May 14, 2016 at 4:29 pm

      Thank you, Cecilia Ellis and TopDrifter, for your specialized background information. In reading the Code of conduct provision
      I. I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life.
      I am prepared to give my life in their defense.
      (a) my understanding, possibly incorrect, is that non-Americans can also serve in the U.S. military (and thereby gain citizenship), and
      (b) “our way of life” is pretty vague. Does it include, for example, WWE, rap music, and Kim Kardashian’s Ninth Amendment right to be worshipped, which some imams claim is reserved for Allah alone?

      • Cecilia Ellis says

        May 15, 2016 at 12:42 am

        Mark Spahn, thank you, in return, for your reply and the two considerations you provided. You are correct; under provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) (Sec. 328. [8 U. S. C. 1439]), foreigners may acquire U. S. naturalized citizenship by serving in the Armed Forces of the United States.

        https://www.uscis.gov/ilink/docView/SLB/HTML/SLB/0-0-0-1/0-0-0-29/0-0-0-10108.html#0-0-0-429

        As the Code of Conduct is an ethical code that originally was established by President Dwight Eisenhower (Executive Order 10631) subsequent to the Korean War and in response to the actions of some of the American prisoners of war while being held in communist prisons, “our way of life” probably refers to allegiance to the U. S. Constitution and the liberties provided therein. It remains such today. More precise information may be found at the following link:

        https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_of_the_United_States_Fighting_Force

        While I certainly am no legal expert, the potential for “some imams [to swear allegiance to that which] is reserved for Allah alone,” merits concern.

  8. Goddess says

    May 14, 2016 at 5:39 am

    This treasonous behavior from our highest levels of command is intolerable. The fact there has not been an angry uprising over this shows how dumbed down and numb our country has become. These criminals must be held accountable and a new administration of discipline must displace this cancer.

    • Fred says

      May 14, 2016 at 11:03 pm

      There is an uprising. His name is Donald Trump.

  9. Mark says

    May 14, 2016 at 6:32 am

    It makes no difference who the Obama Administration white washes this. There was total incompetence in this affair. They should have never wandered into Iranian waters, and even when they did one boat should have towed the other out of those waters and back to base.

  10. David says

    May 14, 2016 at 7:53 am

    This is a great injustice. As well as a direct “slap in the face” of every one of our brave service men AND women. This is the fruit of a very poisonous tree: The Obama administration!
    Hope there is a huge trial of all his treason and war crimes before I’m gone from this Earth.

  11. steve says

    May 14, 2016 at 7:54 am

    In 2007, fifteen British sailors and Marines including one female sailor we abducted from their 2 boats and held for 13 days, The female sailor was FORCED to wear a hijab when she appeared on Iranian tv. This was, I believe, the first time British sailors, accompanied by Royal Marines Marines had ‘surrendered’ to a foreign naval force. To be fair to the British Navy, the attackers WERE Muslims and we in the West know our place and the incredible power of the Navy of Allah.????????????? The report into the incident overseen by Lt. General Sir Robert Fulton has never been released to the public or Parliament. I presume the shame is too great.

  12. UNCLE VLADDI says

    May 14, 2016 at 4:46 pm

    Actually, while the boat was adrift, John Kerry had personally phoned Iran to tell them where it was.

  13. R Cole says

    May 14, 2016 at 4:59 pm

    A little surreal !!

    The Obama admin.. might find some odd anti-Iranian film on online – as they did with Benghazi and blame the whole incident on that!!

    Several years ago there was a British couple vacationing in the UAE – whose yacht stayed a couple of feet or inches over this Iranian line in the sea – and were arrested by the Iranians for spying. I believe, those in the Gulf assisted in talking the Iranians down from their insane position and the couple were released.

    ::

    I can remember George Bush with the military – he would go hoo-rah – and they would answer back – it was a real camaraderie. With Obama – you just don’t see that. Even with the killing of Bin Laden – it was all rather subdued.

  14. Mark A says

    May 14, 2016 at 9:16 pm

    Was the officer among those detained by the Iranians? Was he on these US Navy vessels at the time of this incident?

    Or was the officer in charge of these units at the time of the incident but not actually present at the incident?

    The article is not clear about these questions.

    But I agree that there needs to be some accountability among the top political players over this matter as well. The actions (or inaction) of Obama, Biden and Kerry need to be addressed here too.

    • Cecilia Ellis says

      May 15, 2016 at 1:43 am

      Mark A, this is what I have been able to glean from reviewing a variety of news articles:

      1. Two riverine patrol boats were captured by Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps naval units on January 12, 2016.
      2. A total of ten U. S. Navy crew members were captured from these two patrol boats.
      3. 27-year-old Lieutenant David Nartker, a 2011 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, was the commander of one of the patrol boats and the senior officer present.
      4. CDR Eric Rasch was the Executive Officer of Coastal Riverine Squadron Three (CRS-3) at the time of the incident, a squadron comprised of approximately 450 Navy personnel. As the Executive Officer, he was not and would not be aboard the riverine patrol boat. The two captured patrol boats and their crew were assigned to CRS-3.
      5. The Commanding Officer of Coastal Riverine Squadron Three (CRS-3) at the time of the incident was CDR Gregory Meyer. He has been placed on administrative hold.

      Mark, I hope this makes it a little clearer.

      • Custos Custodum says

        May 15, 2016 at 6:37 am

        Great factual summary – thank you.

  15. notaluvvie says

    May 15, 2016 at 3:24 am

    Is not the Commander-in-Chief ultimately responsible for the training and readiness of all the Navy and its individuals? Now who would that be and shouldn’t he either resign or be sacked?

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