The Navy announced it relieved Capt. Shawn Hendricks on Monday of his duties as as the program manager for the Naval Enterprise Networks, because of a "loss of confidence in his ability to lead."
According to a Navy news release:
The action was based on a substantiated Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) command investigation into an improper relationship and unprofessional behavior.
An unnamed Navy official told Bloomberg News the "improper relationship" was with a female contractor.
According to Stars and Stripes, Hendrick's firing comes at an inopportune time:
The dismissal came in advance of the Navy’s planned June 30 contract award for its $4.5 billion Next Generation Enterprise Network. Hendricks’ former office oversees that contract, as well as contracts for the Navy’s overseas network and the Navy Marine Corps Intranet.
However, Navy spokeswoman Sarah Flaherty told Bloomberg News in an email...
Hendricks’s dismissal “was in no way related to any contracting decisions with the programs he oversaw” and there “was no compromise of procurement-sensitive information."
Philip Anderson, deputy program manager, will take over Hendricks' job until the Navy finds a permanent replacement. Meanwhile, Hendricks will work in SPAWAR's Washington Liaison Office while the Navy processes his case.
