The Commander Of The US Fifth Fleet Has Been Found Dead

Well… this is sad and unsettling news.

Vice Adm. Scott Stearney, the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the U.S. Fifth Fleet, was found dead today in his home in Bahrain.

No foul play is suspected, though his cause of death is still being investigated. Sadly, many now believe his death was caused by “apparent suicide.”

According to Fox News:

“This is devastating news for the Stearney family, for the team at Fifth Fleet and the entire Navy,” Richardson said, according to NavyTimes. “He was a good friend to all of us.”

Navy 5th Fleet commander found dead in his home https://t.co/2DF3DJydgt pic.twitter.com/OIbMRUzysA

— Navy Times (@NavyTimes) December 1, 2018

Stearney, a native of Chicago, served as operations director for the U.S. Central Command before taking on the leadership of the Fifth Fleet in May, the NavyTimes report said.

He oversaw U.S. naval operations in the Middle East and Southwest Asia, including safeguarding the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, the New York Times reported. Stearney joined the Navy in 1982 after graduating from the University of Notre Dame, the report said.

Stearney’s Fifth Fleet duties are being assumed by Rear Adm. Paul Schlise, the fleet’s deputy commander.

The Fifth Fleet includes the Arabian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.

This is further evidence of just how much our service men and women sacrifice. Oftentimes, their mental health.