The command master chief of a Seabee battalion was relieved last month in connection to allegations of personal misconduct, Navy officials confirmed Thursday.
Master Chief Keith Lefebvre was relieved of his position with the Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133 on Jan. 26 due to preliminary results of an ongoing Naval Criminal Investigative Service investigation, according to Cmdr. Cate Cook, a spokeswoman with Navy Expeditionary Combat Command.
Officials declined to provide further information, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation.
“Our senior leaders are entrusted to uphold the highest standards of personal and professional conduct at all times,” Cook said in an email. “Meeting these high standards of conduct is as critical as meeting our high standards of material, personnel and operational readiness.”
Master Chief Joseph George has temporarily assumed command master chief duties until a permanent replacement is named.
The battalion is one of the command’s 11 construction battalions and is based out of Gulfport, Mississippi.
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News of Lefebvre’s relief comes after the entire command triad of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 4 was fired on Feb. 11 after the unit’s executive officer was found drunk and walking naked on Okinawa’s Camp Shields.
Lt. Cmdr. Jason M. Gabbard was relieved after he was found in the woods wearing only his boots after a command gathering for chiefs and officers, Navy officials said.
The unit’s CO, Cmdr. James J. Cho, and Command Master Chief Jason K. Holden, were also relieved for attempting to cover up the incident, a source told Navy Times this month.
Geoff is the managing editor of Military Times, but he still loves writing stories. He covered Iraq and Afghanistan extensively and was a reporter at the Chicago Tribune. He welcomes any and all kinds of tips at geoffz@militarytimes.com.
