The top enlisted leader of a Japan-based guided-missile destroyer was relieved Friday, 7th Fleet officials told Navy Times.
Command Master Chief Jason M. Pick was removed from his position aboard the Milius “due to misconduct identified during an ongoing investigation” by Task Force 70, according to command spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Matt Knight.
Few other details regarding the reasons for Pick’s firing were available Friday and he could not be reached for comment.
Pick was temporarily reassigned to Destroyer Squadron 15, and squadron Command Master Chief Micky Jones has assumed senior enlisted leadership duties aboard the warship.
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He is at least the fourth command master chief to get canned in 2018.
Originally from Minnesota, Pick enlisted in 1996 and reported to the Milius in 2016, according to Navy records.
His previous tours included time on the aircraft carriers Theodore Roosevelt, George Washington, Ronald Reagan, Nimitz, Constellation, Abraham Lincoln and the Carl Vinson.
He began his fleet service in the Carl Vinson’s Air Department, V-1 Division, as a flight deck plane handler and a crash and salvage hot suitman, according to his official biography.
The Milius was his first destroyer assignment. The Arleigh Burke-class warship joined 7th Fleet’s forward-deployed forces in Japan in May.
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Pick’s decorations include the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, four Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and six Good Conduct Awards, according to his official biography.
An earlier version of this article misstated Command Master Chief Micky Jones' unit. He is the CMC for Destroyer Squadron 15.
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.
