PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro sent letters of censure to three now-retired officers who were in leadership roles during the Red Hill fuel spills in 2021, according to a news release.

What You Need To Know

  • Secretarial Letters of Censure were sent to three now-retired officers who were in leadership roles during the Red Hill fuel spills in 2021

  • “You are hereby censured for your leadership failures,” all three letters said. The SLOCs will remain in each officer’s official service record

  • Additionally, two Letters of Instruction were sent to officers who were in leadership roles during the Red Hill fuel spills. Non-Punitive Letters of Censure were also sent to seven Navy captains 

  • Sen. Mazie Hirono issued a statement saying “true accountability for this disaster requires the Navy to address the systemic command and control failures"

The three Secretarial Letters of Censure were sent to: 

  • Rear Adm. Peter Stamatopoulos, who was the Commander for the Naval Supply Systems Command during the spills 
  • Rear Adm. John Korka, who was the Commander for the Navy Facilities Engineering Command Pacific before the spills
  • Rear Adm. Timothy Kott, who was the Commander for the Navy Region Hawaii during the Nov. 2021 spill 

The SLOC to Stamatopoulos said he failed to perform his duties by not ensuring proper readiness to respond to the Nov. 2021 fuel spill at Red Hill, which was the cause of the drinking water contamination. The letters also listed specific failures for the other officers.  

“You are hereby censured for your leadership failures,” all three letters said. The SLOCs will remain in each officer’s official service record. 

Del Toro sent the SLOCs after receiving recommendations from Adm. Daryl Caudle, who is the Commander for the U.S. Fleet Forces Command. Adm. Caudle considered all Navy service members whose behavior may have been called into question during the May and Nov. 2021 spills, according to the Navy’s news release. 

“What happened was not acceptable and the Department of the Navy will continue to take every action to identify and remedy this issue,” said Secretary Del Toro. “I have determined that there were no leaders in relevant positions at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility worthy of an end of tour award over the period in question.”

Additionally, two Letters of Instruction were sent to: 

  • Rear Adm. Dean VanderLey, who was the Commander of the NAVFAC Pacific during the November 2021 spill 
  • Rear Adm. Robert Chadwick, who is now retired, but was Commander of the Navy Region Hawaii during the May 2021 spill

Non-Punitive Letters of Censure were also sent to seven Navy captains. Three of them are pending a Board of Inquiry to decide if they may continue their naval service.

U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued a statement following the Navy’s announcement of accountability for the service members responsible for the fuel spills at Red Hill. 

While she said it was “important” to hold individuals accountable, she said “true accountability for this disaster requires the Navy to address the systemic command and control failures, and a lack of requisite attention to infrastructure, that caused this disaster to happen.”

“As Admiral Paparo said in his investigation into the May and November 2021 Red Hill incidents, ‘a culture of complacency, lack of critical thinking, and lack of timely communication’ contributed to those incidents,” her statement continued. “I have yet to see adequate evidence that Navy leadership is treating these service-wide issues with the seriousness or urgency they demand. The Navy has an obligation to protect service members and the communities in which it operates, and as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I’ll continue pushing them to make the systemic changes necessary to prevent future incidents.”

Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.

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