Decorated SEAL relieved of Virginia Beach command
Navy cites ‘loss of confidence’ in firing
Capt. Richard A. Zaszewski, a Navy SEAL and the commodore of the Virginia Beach-based Naval Special Warfare Group Eight, was relieved of his command Wednesday.
Rear Adm. Keith Davis, the commander of Naval Special Warfare Command, cited a “loss of confidence in his ability to command.” Capt. Stig Sanness, the deputy commodore of Group Eight, replaced Zaszewski.
The change in command will not affect Group Eight’s mission readiness, according to the Navy. No further details about Zaszewski’s dismissal were available.
“Navy leaders are held to high standards of personal and professional conduct,” the Navy said in a release. “They are expected to uphold the highest standards of responsibility, reliability, and leadership, and the Navy holds them accountable when they fall short of those standards.”
A Naval Special Warfare spokesperson added, “The decision was made with careful consideration of the facts and the imperative to uphold the high standards of Navy leadership.”
Zaszewski entered the military in May 1997 and was promoted to captain in August 2019. He owns 26 awards and decorations, and is considered a rifle and pistol expert. His awards include a Silver Star, three Bronze Stars including one with a “V” for valor in combat, five Defense Meritorious Service Medals, two Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medals, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.
Naval Special Warfare Group Eight is headquartered at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia Beach, and also has detachments in Coronado, California, and in Pearl Harbor. Group Eight’s responsibilities include to “organize, train, educate, support and deploy specialized
capabilities to perform intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance activities, and to conduct maritime special operations worldwide in support of the Fleet, Joint Force, and other mission partners,” a spokesperson said in an email.