# Gitmo CO relieved of command **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 11, 2005, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gitmo-co-relieved-of-command/311905 "2005-07-11T00:43:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gitmo-co-relieved-of-command/311905/1 "2005-07-11T00:43:44Z")
According to this story in _The Washington Post_the commanding officer at Gitmo has been relieved for reasons unrelated to the operation of the detainee camp. What do you suppose this means? Is it significant that the information was released on a weekend? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gitmo-co-relieved-of-command/311905/2 "2005-07-11T00:59:01Z")
[Fixed WaPo link](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/09/AR2005070900802.html) [Boston Globe too](http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/07/10/top_officer_relieved_of_duties_at_cuba_base/) > [@](#): > > Capt. Leslie J. McCoy, who had commanded Guantanamo since March 2003, was the subject of an investigation into inappropriate personnel and administrative practices unrelated to the base’s detention camp for suspected terrorists. Maybe this is blowback from the [James Yee Debacle](http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-05-16-yee-cover_x.htm)? ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gitmo-co-relieved-of-command/311905/3 "2005-07-11T01:08:59Z")
> [@](#): > > for reasons unrelated to the operation of the detainee camp Yeah, right. At any rate, good riddance to him. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gitmo-co-relieved-of-command/311905/4 "2005-07-11T01:11:17Z")
> [@Spavined Gelding](#): > > According to this story in _The Washington Post_the commanding officer at Gitmo has been relieved for reasons unrelated to the operation of the detainee camp. What do you suppose this means? Is it significant that the information was released on a weekend? Hard to say for sure it’s significant that it was released over the weekend, but sure as hell grounds for suspicion. Especially during a weekend when a Class 4 hurricane striking the US has got all the news ops going “Oooh, look! Bright and shiny!” ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gitmo-co-relieved-of-command/311905/5 "2005-07-11T02:10:14Z")
The commanding officer of Gitmo is a captain? Huh? Isn’t that a bit low on the scrotum pole? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/45deac/32.png) [@Evil\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_One)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gitmo-co-relieved-of-command/311905/6 "2005-07-11T02:14:42Z")
Gitmo is a Navy base. A Naval Captain is equal to an Army Colonel. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gitmo-co-relieved-of-command/311905/7 "2005-07-11T02:15:30Z")
The link in the OP seems to have broken. [Here’s one](http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/wire/sns-ap-guantanamo-officer-relieved,1,4874043.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines) from a different outlet. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gitmo-co-relieved-of-command/311905/8 "2005-07-11T02:19:28Z")
Oops, I see Squink fixed the OP link. > [@Evil One](#): > > Gitmo is a Navy base. A Naval Captain is equal to an Army Colonel. But according to Squinks story, the former commander was > [@USATODAY](#): > > Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller, then commander of Guantanamo’s detention camp. He oversaw the espionage investigations of all four men. He has since been transferred to Iraq, where he is now engulfed in the controversy involving prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib. So where does an Army Maj Gen stand vs. a Navy Captain? (And when did they reflag the base from Army to Navy anyways?) ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gitmo-co-relieved-of-command/311905/9 "2005-07-11T02:23:21Z")
> [@Spavined Gelding](#): > > Is it significant that the information was released on a weekend? Potentially. I was listening to a story on NPR just this week about the strategy of when to release unpopular news. Typically, a Friday afternoon would be used for the purpose, so the reporters would publish stories over the weekend when readership is low and when people are less likely to be interested. Political interest does, apparently, shift depending on the day. Now, there’s no way to prove that this was the motivation here. I think it’s safe to say, though, that it’s not an unreasonable guess. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gitmo-co-relieved-of-command/311905/10 "2005-07-11T02:26:50Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Oops, I see Squink fixed the OP link. > > But according to Squinks story, the former commander was So where does an Army Maj Gen stand vs. a Navy Captain? (And when did they reflag the base from Army to Navy anyways?) An Army Major General is equivalent to a Navy Rear Admiral (Upper Half) and is two steps above a Navy Captain. Army or Air Force Colonel or Navy Captain seems about right for such a command. I’m surprised that the first CO was a Major General. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gitmo-co-relieved-of-command/311905/11 "2005-07-11T02:28:10Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > (And when did they reflag the base from Army to Navy anyways?) Guantanamo has always been a Navy base. The detention center is not in the chain of command of the base. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gitmo-co-relieved-of-command/311905/12 "2005-07-11T02:40:17Z")
> [@David Simmons](#): > > An Army Major General is equivalent to a Navy Rear Admiral (Upper Half) and is two steps above a Navy Captain. Army or Air Force Colonel or Navy Captain seems about right for such a command. I’m surprised that the first CO was a Major General. Does an Army colonel or Navy captain have information vegetable, animal and mineral? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gitmo-co-relieved-of-command/311905/13 "2005-07-11T02:43:10Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > Guantanamo has always been a Navy base. The detention center is not in the chain of command of the base. OK, so when did they reflag the detention center? ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gitmo-co-relieved-of-command/311905/14 "2005-07-11T03:33:16Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > OK, so when did they reflag the detention center? It is not at all uncommon for military installations to contain tenant activities with their own chain of command separate from that of the installation. ---
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gitmo-co-relieved-of-command/311905/15 "2005-07-11T03:37:32Z")
**Squink** , thanks for the link fix. **Brain Glutton** , he is perhaps the very model of a modern major general. I read the admittedly short article as saying that the Naval Captain was in charge of the whole shooting match. That could be troublesome with Army personnel, CIA types and civilian DoD and CIA contract hires actually running the detention camp. Still it seems strange that this guy would be relieved on a Saturday without any advance work up to claim that it was a routine reassignment and rotation. What will tell the story is what his next job will be. If he ends up in the bowels Of the Pentagon with no window, no telephone and no staff or if he abruptly resigns his commission and it is expeditiously accepted it will be a pretty good indication that he did something that either really aggravated the bigger brass or he really screwed something up. The good news is that if he feels put upon he will squeal and that might tell us something more about the operation of the detention camp. ---
**Author:** ![Jpeg\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@Jpeg\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jpeg_Jones)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gitmo-co-relieved-of-command/311905/16 "2005-07-11T21:09:52Z")
_ **You can’t handle the truth!!!** _ ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gitmo-co-relieved-of-command/311905/17 "2005-07-11T21:43:50Z")
From the newer link: > [@](#): > > McCoy was relieved of his duties Saturday by Rear Adm. Annette E. Brown, the region commander, who had “lost confidence in his ability to effectively lead,” Dooling said. But if this had nothing to do with his current position, maybe Adm. Brown should have left him where he was, hmmm? How is Hurrican Dennis doing now? It has left Tennessee. Is in in Pennsylvania yet or is it taking a more Westerly course? It was called a “Tropical Depression” when it reached Tennessee. A call or two from the White House might make it a Post Hurricanautical Indentation while the next one is whipped into shaped in the Atlantic. (Shuttle minus 2 and counting… ) ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gitmo-co-relieved-of-command/311905/18 "2005-07-11T21:50:34Z")
> [@Zoe](#): > > But if this had nothing to do with his current position, maybe Adm. Brown should have left him where he was, hmmm? They didn’t say it had nothing to do with his current position, they said it had nothing to do with the detainees. Since the prison camp is not in his chain of command, that’s quite believable. Is it so hard to imagine that personnel and administrative irregularities occurred at Gitmo? That’s how I read it, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gitmo-co-relieved-of-command/311905/19 "2005-07-12T01:21:28Z")
Does anyone know if the Commander of the Guantanamo Naval Base was also the commander of the detention camp? The two things aren’t necessarily the same. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gitmo-co-relieved-of-command/311905/20 "2005-07-12T01:23:27Z")
> [@Nametag](#): > > They didn’t say it had nothing to do with his current position, they said it had nothing to do with the detainees. Since the prison camp is not in his chain of command, that’s quite believable. Is it so hard to imagine that personnel and administrative irregularities occurred at Gitmo? That’s how I read it, anyway. I agree with this. Does anyone know if the Commander of the Guantanamo Naval Base was also the commander of the detention camp? The two things aren’t necessarily the same. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gitmo-co-relieved-of-command/311905.md?page=2)