The Navy has fired the top leadership of the San Diego-based SEAL Team 7.
Naval Special Warfare Command announced Friday that Rear Adm. Collin Green has removed SEAL Team 7's top leader, Cmdr. Edward Mason, as well as executive officer, Lt. Cmdr. Luke Im, and the top enlisted leader, Command Master Chief Hugh Spangler.
The removals stemmed from a loss of confidence that resulted from leadership failures which caused a breakdown of good order and discipline within two subordinate units while deployed to combat zones, according to a statement from Navy Spokesperson Cmdr. Tamara Lawrence.
In August, SEAL Team 7 was in the spotlight when one of its platoons was sent home from Iraq amid allegations of drinking and sexual misconduct. A month later, the allegations remain under investigation and no decision has been made on charges, Lawrence said.
RELATED: San Diego-Based SEAL Platoon Pulled Out Of Iraq Over Disciplinary Issues
In July, a military court in San Diego acquitted Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher of the most serious war crime allegations, which stemmed from when his platoon from SEAL Team 7 was in Mosul, Iraq in 2017. Gallagher was convicted of posing with a corpse on the battlefield. During the trial, it was revealed that the team operated a roof-top bar in a country where drinking is prohibited.
Rear Adm. Green issued a four-page letter on Aug. 19 to Navy special operations commands, which called for an end to an ethical drift in special forces. The letter outlined a plan to raise the ethical standards among SEAL units.
