The Coast Guard has temporarily relieved the commander of its largest installation, Coast Guard Base Alameda in California.
Capt. David Melton, who had led the command since last June, was relieved May 20 by Rear Adm. Carola List, commander of Operational Logistics Command, as a result of “loss of confidence,” according to a service press release.
Officials said the suspension was not due to misconduct. Coast Guard chief of media relations Lt. Cmdr. Steve Roth said Tuesday that Melton has been temporarily assigned to the Coast Guard Surface Forces Logistics Center “pending the permanent relief for cause determination.”
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Coast Guard Base Alameda occupies a 67-acre island wedged between the Oakland suburbs and Alameda in San Francisco Bay. More than 1,200 people work at the facility, including tenant commands such as Coast Guard Pacific Area, the 11th District and the Maritime Intelligence Fusion Center Pacific. Four national security cutters are homeported at Alameda as well.
The installation commander is responsible for supporting the activities of these tenants and the base itself, including: overseeing procurement and contracting; base operations; personnel support, including health services; housing and recreational activities; facilities and naval engineering; and command and control, communications, computers, cybersecurity and intelligence, or C5I.
Melton is a logistics expert, having previously served as chief of business operations and logistics in the office of the Coast Guard’s assistant commandant for engineering and logistics.
His role was to modernize the service’s logistics structure, including supply chain management and information technology. He also served as a port engineer and previously commanded Sector Field Office Galveston, Texas.
A 1999 graduate of the Coast Guard Academy, Melton is co-captain of the Coast Guard marksmanship team.
Service officials said Melton’s relief has not affected operations at the base and there is no impact on public safety.
Capt. Brian Winburn, former commander of Coast Guard Base Los Angeles/Long Beach, has temporarily assumed the command of Coast Guard Base Alameda, according to the service.
In the past year, seven Coast Guard leaders have lost their jobs for various reasons ranging from creating toxic work environments to not performing up to standards.
In January, the service’s top officer, Adm. Linda Fagan, was fired by President Donald Trump within a day of his inauguration. Department of Homeland Security officials said at the time that Fagan was terminated over concerns about border security, acquisitions, recruiting and leadership.
Fagan has not made any public statements since her dismissal in January. Adm. Kevin Lunday, who served as acting commandant of the service since Fagan’s firing, was nominated last week as the service’s next commandant.
Lunday will need to go through the Senate confirmation process before he is sworn in as the service’s 28th commandant.
The Coast Guard is facing more than $290 million in claims filed under the Federal Tort Claims Act by victims of sexual assault at the Coast Guard Academy across several decades — crimes that were investigated and later covered up by service leadership.
The Department of Homeland Security inspector general has been investigating the assaults and the coverup since last year. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) has not released its findings.
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