SEAL Boss to Depart After 2 Years; Officials Say No Indication He Was Forced Out

The Navy admiral who has led the service's most elite special operators during a string of high-profile scandals will leave his post in September, Military.com has confirmed.

Rear Adm. Collin Green will wrap up his term as head of Naval Special Warfare Command after two years in the position. The move, first reported by The Intercept last weekend, follows several high-profile controversies involving the command that, in part, prompted a full review of U.S. Special Operations Command's ethics and culture.

A Navy official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the flag officer's move, said "there is no indication he has been asked to leave early."

"He's leaving at the two-year point, which is a normal command tour," the official said. "It's premature to say he's retiring."

Related: Spec Ops Culture Sets Conditions 'Favorable for Inappropriate Behavior,' 4-Star Says

It's not immediately clear in what position Green would serve next or who would replace him. The Intercept reported that Rear Adm. H. Wyman Howard III, a Naval Academy grad serving as head of Special Operations Command Central, will be nominated to replace Green.

Howard previously served as a commander with SEAL Team 6, which carries out some of the military's most covert missions. The Intercept reported in 2017 that Howard gave his operators hand-made hatchets and told them ahead of missions and deployments to "bloody the hatchet."

Green has led the Navy SEALs since September 2017 after assuming command from Rear Adm. Tim Szymanski, who spent two years in the position. Of the last four flag officers who led the command, three left after two years.

Szymanski's predecessor, Rear Adm. Brian Losey, led the command for more than three years.

The Intercept reported that Green's tour had been set to last three years, but "the stress from his reform efforts, as well as personal issues, have taken a toll."

Green sent a letter to his commanders in July telling them "we have a problem," and ordering leaders to help restore discipline in the ranks. The two-star followed it up the next month with a memo to the force announcing a return to routine inspections, discipline trackers, and strict enforcement of all Navy grooming and uniform standards.

Related: Navy SEAL Boss Orders Discipline Crackdown After Embarrassing Scandals

The four-page memo said the problems in the command would be met with "urgent, effective and active leadership."

"This drift ends now," Green wrote.

The Navy SEALs have made headlines over murder charges, allegations of rape and drinking in the war zone, and lengthy legal battles.

Some of those incidents caught the attention of President Donald Trump, who at one point ordered Green's command to "Get back to business!" after the admiral considered stripping a former SEAL of his coveted trident pin.

-- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins.

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