U.S. Navy Pacific commander misses promotion, retiring after collisions
▻http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-navy-asia/u-s-navy-pacific-commander-misses-promotion-retiring-after-collisions-idUSK
U.S. Pacific Fleet commander Admiral Scott Swift said he plans to retire after being passed over for promotion to the chief of all military forces in the region in the wake of two deadly collisions involving U.S. warships.
Swift was in the running to replace Admiral Harry Harris as the Commander, U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM). Whoever the Pentagon chooses to replace Harris will be taking over at a time when North Korea poses a rising threat and China is flexing its military muscle.
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Under Swift’s command the U.S. Navy’s Third Fleet, which normally operates east of the international date line in the Pacific has taken a command role in Asia alongside the Seventh Fleet, which is headquartered in Japan.
The move aimed to bolster U.S. forces in the region as a counterweight to China’s growing military might.
Swift did not refer to the spate naval collisions in the Pacific in recent months when announcing his retirement on Monday in the United States.
But, he is the most senior naval officer to step down after collisions in June and August in which a total of 17 U.S. sailors were killed.