By Geoff Fein
Rear Adm. Chuck Goddard, the program executive officer (PEO) for ships, was removed from office Thursday following a Navy Inspector General’s (IG) report that substantiated allegations of personal misconduct against him, the Navy said.
“The allegations involved inappropriate personal behavior with a subordinate in a social setting while on official travel,” Rear Adm. Frank Thorp, the Navy’s Chief of Information, said. “He has been removed from his position pending results of the vice chief’s review.”
Goddard was removed from his job by John Thackrah, interim assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, pending the results of Vice Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Patrick Walsh’s review, Thorp said.
Goddard has been temporarily reassigned to the CNO’s staff, he added.
Goddard had been PEO ships since February 2007, when he replaced Rear Adm. Charlie Hamilton, who took a position with the international programs office prior to retiring. Hamilton now works at Booz Allen Hamilton.
Dub Summerall, executive director combatants at PEO Ships, replaces Goddard, the Navy said.
Goddard brought a wealth of experience to the PEO job, holding several key shipbuilding acquisition posts over his career. In 1998, he served as Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Director of Ship Research and Development. Goddard also was the DD(X), later renamed DDG-1000, program manager from 2001 to 2005 and vice chief NAVSEA from 2005 to 2007.
Goddard’s removal from office comes at a delicate time for Navy shipbuilding. The service is trying to get through the analysis of alternatives for its next-generation cruiser CG(X), while also working with Congress to determine whether to build more than the two allotted DDG-1000s or restart the DDG-51 program.
The House and Senate Armed Services Committees have clashed over DDG-1000. The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) wants to hold off procurement of DDG-1000s and directs the Navy to spend $400 million on restarting procurement of DDG-51 or for continuing the DDG-1000. The full House has approved the HASC version of the bill.
The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) backs the Navy’s request to buy one DDG-1000 in FY ’09. SASC’s version of the defense authorization bill has yet to be taken up by the full Senate.
The House Appropriations Committee is slated to take up the FY ’09 defense bill next week and the Senate Appropriations Committee could follow later in the month.
Additionally, PEO ships has been working with shipbuilders to get the costs down on the Littoral Combat Ship, an important piece of the Navy’s 313-ship plan. And the organization is working with lawmakers anxious to see the Navy move away from conventional-powered ships to a nuclear-powered fleet.
Thorp made it clear the allegations against Goddard have nothing to do with the management of the shipbuilding program and Goddard’s removal from office should not impact those programs. “So the shipbuilding program moves on,” he said.
The IG’s report documents that Goddard submitted a request on June 10 to retire as of Dec. 1, Thorp said.
“Rear Adm. Goddard does not have an approved retirement at this date…this time,” he said.
In May 2007, Goddard was nominated for a second star, but that “promotion has been withheld at this time,” Thorp said.
According to Thorp, Navy Secretary Donald Winter passed the IG report to CNO Adm. Gary Roughead. After reviewing the report, Roughead directed Walsh to review the investigation and to take disciplinary or administrative action that Walsh deems appropriate.