USA   –  The U.S. Navy officer who oversaw the 10 sailors captured and briefly detained by Iran earlier this year has been relieved of his duties due to “loss of confidence” in his ability, the Navy announced yesterday.

Cmdr. Eric Rasch was fired from his job as the commanding officer of Coastal Riverine Squadron 3 and temporarily reassigned. These type of personnel actions typically result in the officer then retiring from active duty. Rasch had recently taken command of the unit after serving as the No. 2 during January when the incident occurred. Capt. Gary Leigh, the commander of the overall group, made the determination after a preliminary Navy investigation into the incident near Iran’s Farsi Island in the Arabian Gulf over January 12 and 13. CNN has not yet reached out to Rasch for comment. Far from its home port in San Diego, the squadron’s job in the Gulf was to provide maritime security and escort duty for other ships. The boat the 10 sailors were on was in routine transit at the time. .(CNN.COM)…[+]