For at least the third time since October, a key leader with a San Diego-based naval unit has been relieved of duty by the Navy, which did not specify why.
The Navy said that Cmdr. William Coulter is no longer leading Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 136, known as the Gauntlets. He had been in the post for nearly a year when he was removed last week.
Coulter was replaced by Cmdr. Paul Ritter, who was scheduled to assume command of the squadron in April, the Navy said.
The squadron uses EA-18G Growler aircraft to provide airborne attacks. It is currently assigned to the carrier USS Carl Vinson, the lead ship in a carrier strike group. The carrier, which left San Diego in October, has been operating in the South China Sea in recent days, the Navy said.
Cmdr. William Coulter
(U.S. Navy)
“Commanding officers are held to high standards of personal and professional conduct,” the Navy said in a statement referring to Coulter’s dismissal.
“They are expected to uphold the highest standards of responsibility, reliability, and leadership, and the Navy holds them accountable when they fall short of those standards.”
The Navy typically does not provide a detailed explanation about why it removes someone from a leadership post.
In October, Capt. Danielle C. DeFant, commander of the San Diego-based cruiser USS Lake Erie, was relieved of duty. The Navy said it had lost confidence in her ability to command.
And in early December, Capt. James Harney was relieved as commodore of Amphibious Squadron 5, which is based in San Diego.
Harney had been arrested on suspicion of felony hit-and-run and felony DUI causing bodily injury on Nov. 22 after getting in a collision with another vehicle, according to Coronado police.
