US Navy Commander Cameron Yaste was recently fired from his post “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command a guided missile destroyer,” according to a US Navy statement cited by Fox News. In April, the US Navy posted on its Instagram account (banned in the Russian Federation; owned by the Meta corporation, recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation) a photo of Yaste aiming a rear-sighted rifle, with the caption: “Thanks to participation in shooting training, maintenance, fuel cleaning tests, and participation in maritime and anchor operations, #USNavy (US Navy – Ed.) is always ready to serve and protect.”
Social media users were quick to point out that the rifle’s sights were mounted incorrectly. Around the same time the Navy posted this image, the Marines on their X, formerly Twitter account (blocked in the Russian Federation), shared a similar photo of one of their fellow soldiers firing a rifle with the correct setup, captioning it: “Clear sight picture.”
The post featuring Yaste was eventually deleted. “Thank you for pointing out our aiming error in a previous post,” the Navy later wrote on social media, The Associated Press reported. The USS John McCain is currently helping protect the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier in the Middle East. The exact date Yaste was fired is not reported. The Pentagon has sent aircraft carriers to the Middle East to be prepared in case Israel needs help repelling a potential attack from Iran or other countries, U.S. military officials say.
