YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — A Navy captain who managed the service’s computer network acquisitions was relieved of duty for engaging in an improper relationship, according to a Navy statement Tuesday.

Capt. Shawn Hendricks, former program manager for Naval Enterprise Networks, lost his job Monday after an investigation by Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command substantiated claims of “an improper relationship and unprofessional behavior,” according to the statement.

The relationship occurred with a female contractor, according to an unidentified Navy official cited by Bloomberg News.

Hendricks will be reassigned to Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command’s Washington liaison office while his case is processed, the Navy statement said.

Philip Anderson, Naval Enterprise Networks deputy program manager, will assume Hendricks’ former post until a permanent replacement is named, according to the Navy.

The dismissal came in advance of the Navy’s planned June 30 contract award for its $4.5 billion Next Generation Enterprise Network. Hendricks’ former office oversees that contract, as well as contracts for the Navy’s overseas network and the Navy Marine Corps Intranet.

Hendricks’s dismissal “was in no way related to any contracting decisions with the programs he oversaw” and there “was no compromise of procurement-sensitive information,” Bloomberg quoted Navy spokeswoman Sarah Flaherty as saying.

Of the 10 other commanding officers whose firings have been publicly released in 2013, at least three lost their jobs because of inappropriate behavior, according to prior Navy statements.

The Navy cited behavioral misconduct in its justifications for firing at least 11 of the 25 commanding officers known to be relieved in 2012.

slavin.erik@stripes.comTwitter:@eslavin_stripes

Migrated