The Navy has issued letters of censure to three Marine and two Navy officers in connection with the sinking of an amphibious assault vehicle off the Southern California coast in 2020.
The mishap killed eight Marines and a sailor. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro faults the officers for what he calls "inadequate leadership and execution of their oversight duties."
Censure letters are put in service members' personnel files and are often career-ending for military officers, usually preventing them from further promotion or other progress. A Marine Corps investigation cited inadequate training, shabby maintenance and poor judgment by leaders.