Capt. William F. Mosk (Courtesy of the U.S. Navy)
NAPLES, Italy — The commander of the U.S. Navy base in Rota, Spain, has been relieved of command after Navy leadership lost confidence in him to “effectively handle issues surrounding an ongoing investigation under his authority,” a Navy spokesman said Tuesday.
Rear Adm. Tony Gaiani on Monday relieved Capt. William Mosk as skipper of Naval Station Rota, where he has been commander since June 2008, said Lt. Cmdr. David Benham, a spokesman for Navy Region Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia.
Mosk is the seventh naval commanding officer to be relieved of command this year.
Benham declined to provide any information about the ongoing investigation, being led by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. The investigation has been under way for about 6 weeks, Benham said.
Mosk, however, “is not the subject of the investigation and does not face any criminal charges,” Benham said.
The NCIS investigation involves other Navy personnel stationed at Rota, and surrounds allegations of drug possession and use on the base, said agency spokesman Ed Buice. All very small “personal use” amounts, he said.
Mosk temporarily has been assigned to the staff of Navy Region Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia, and will remain in Rota until officials decide on a possible follow-on assignment.
The base’s executive officer, Cmdr. Ronald Dennis, will take command until Mosk’s scheduled relief arrives, Benham said. Mosk was scheduled to turn over command of Rota in June to Capt. Scott Kraverath, Benham said. “I anticipate [Kraverath] will be getting here sooner than originally anticipated, but I don’t have an exact date yet,” he said.
Dennis reported to Rota in March 2009, and has been the executive officer since August.
