Commander of U.S. Navy destroyer relieved of duty months after embarrassing rifle scope photo [Video]

The commander of a Navy destroyer that’s helping protect the San Diego-based aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Middle East has been relieved of duty about four months after he was seen in a photo firing a rifle with a scope mounted backward.

The image brought the Navy considerable ridicule on social media. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Cameron Yaste, commanding officer of the destroyer USS John McCain, was removed on Friday.

The Navy said Yaste was relieved of duty “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command the guided-missile destroyer” that’s currently deployed in the Gulf of Oman. The statement didn’t elaborate about why Yaste was replaced.

“The Navy holds commanding officers to the highest standards and holds them accountable when those standards are not met,” the Navy said.

In April, a photo posted on the Navy’s social media showed Yaste in a firing stance gripping the rifle with a backward scope.

The military …