{"id":23972,"date":"2020-02-25T22:40:44","date_gmt":"2020-02-25T22:40:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/02\/25\/the-navys-investigation-into-vice-adm-scott-stearneys-suicide\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:24:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:24:13","slug":"the-navys-investigation-into-vice-adm-scott-stearneys-suicide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/02\/25\/the-navys-investigation-into-vice-adm-scott-stearneys-suicide\/","title":{"rendered":"The Navy\u2019s investigation into Vice Adm. Scott Stearney\u2019s suicide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The investigation into the death of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/06\/11\/navy-probe-rules-vice-admirals-death-a-suicide\/\" target=_blank>Vice Adm. Scott Stearney<\/a> revealed no warning signs that may have predicted the U.S. 5th Fleet commander\u2019s Dec. 1, 2018, suicide in his Bahrain home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But a series of suicide notes left behind by Stearney revealed he grappled with \u201csignificant time away from family\u201d and \u201cthe struggles of military life,&#8221; according to a redacted Naval Criminal Investigative Service report obtained by Navy Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Released in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, the probe also reflects the shock Stearney\u2019s family, friends and colleagues felt after the career aviator hanged himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Investigators found no evidence of personal misconduct or scandal linked to the admiral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One officer told NCIS he didn\u2019t think Stearney was involved in any bad behavior \u201cbecause he was addicted to his job,\u201d according to the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The investigation instead focused on the long and brutal hours Stearney put in, as well as the stoic face the man with the call sign \u201cSterno\u201d wore, a countenance that belied any turmoil he might have felt inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/12\/01\/navy-5th-fleet-commander-found-dead-in-his-home\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"227\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Stearney.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Navy\u2019s top 5th Fleet commander found dead in his home<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Vice Adm. Scott A. Stearney was found dead in his Bahrain residence Saturday. He oversaw U.S. naval operations in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The contents of a third note are redacted in the publicly released investigation, as are the names of most of the people interviewed in the 357-page file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While colleagues and subordinates expressed shock at his death, a civilian who was close to Stearney described his Thanksgiving visit to see family in Chicago, and how the admiral \u201cate like a bird,\u201d slept a lot and seemed \u201cout of it,\u201d according to the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When he dropped the three-star off at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flychicago.com\/ohare\/pages\/default.aspx\" target=_blank>O\u2019Hare International Airport<\/a>, Stearney gave him \u201ca long hug.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the morning of his death, after spending some time in his home office, Stearney walked with his wife to get coffee, a weekend tradition of theirs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stearney\u2019s wife left to run errands and initially thought her husband was napping when she returned home, according to the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She told agents Stearney was \u201cthe strongest man I know\u201d but he worked very hard and was tired from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere have been a lot of \u2018I love yous\u2019 lately and things have been particularly good since their Thanksgiving visit with their family,\u201d an agent wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The couple also looked forward to an upcoming Christmas visit with relatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After finding her husband, Stearney\u2019s wife called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navy.mil\/navydata\/bios\/bio.asp?bioID=997\" target=_blank>Rear Adm. Paul Schlise,<\/a> his deputy commander.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSchlise described her demeanor as being in complete disbelief,\u201d agents wrote. \u201cShe repeated comments over and over about not understanding how such a strong man could do this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One staffer noted that Stearney, who also commanded naval forces under U.S. Central Command, \u201cwas under a great deal of stress, which he assumed stemmed largely in part to the inherent demands and high-profile nature of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cusnc.navy.mil\/\" target=_blank>NAVCENT area of responsibility<\/a>,\u201d the report states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another staffer said Stearney \u201cburned the midnight oil\u201d but was also good at concealing his stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stearney\u2019s chief of staff recalled him as a \u201ccomplex person with an introverted nature\u201d who seemed to be \u201coperating at a pace that was not sustainable\u201d when he first took command in Bahrain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That job is \u201ca lonely one,\u201d added an unnamed retired flag officer and close friend of the Stearney family who previously led 5th Fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen one is a Flag officer in the Contiguous United States (CONUS), there are fellow Admirals\/peers to bounce ideas off of and trouble shoot problems as they arise,\u201d the retired admiral told agents.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/09\/24\/meet-the-navy-chief-helping-suicidal-sailors-on-reddit\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Khan-cover-pic.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Meet the Navy chief helping suicidal sailors on Reddit<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Chief Grant Khanbalinov started posting videos encouraging sailors to seek help earlier this year.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One acquaintance said Stearney had been planning to retire from the Navy but took the 5th Fleet post in mid-2018 after being asked to do so, according to the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.defense.gov\/Our-Story\/Biographies\/Biography\/Article\/602777\/general-joseph-l-votel\/\" target=_blank>Army Gen. Joseph Votel<\/a>, then the head of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.centcom.mil\/\" target=_blank>U.S. Central Command<\/a>, held a meeting with spouses in February 2019 and told them that Stearney was getting ready to retire, but that he had encouraged the aviator \u201cto come out here,\u201d according to the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stearney\u2019s executive assistant believed Votel \u201c\u2019shouldered a lot of grief\u2019 for Stearney\u2019s death because he felt he talked Stearney into becoming (the 5th Fleet commander), when Stearney was planning on retiring.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When interviewed by NCIS, Votel recalled Stearney was taking mandatory retirement classes when he approached him about the job in Bahrain, and the vice admiral \u201cappeared to be excited and up for the opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the wake of his death, Votel wondered \u201cif Stearney felt pressured to take the position and\/or if he struggled with deciding on entering the civilian world or continuing on a path he felt he needed to for the Navy,\u201d according to the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now retired, Votel described Stearney as \u201ca very quiet, reserved, and private individual who did not express much emotion or discuss much of his personal life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He praised Stearney as \u201ca confident individual who was persuasive and had an innate ability to communicate as a commander&#8221; and recollected how he helped \u201ca high ranking individual with an alcohol problem,\u201d handling \u201cthe situation very professionally and was empathetic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/44652956595_6d2ce6e543_k.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17517\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/44652956595_6d2ce6e543_k.jpg.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/44652956595_6d2ce6e543_k.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/44652956595_6d2ce6e543_k.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/44652956595_6d2ce6e543_k.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/44652956595_6d2ce6e543_k.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Vice Adm. Scott Stearney, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces, looks at a cache of over 2,500 AK-47 automatic rifles seized during maritime security operations aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) on Oct. 24, 2018, in Manama, Bahrain. (MC3Jonathan Clay\/Navy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At last year\u2019s meeting with the military spouses, Votel told them he noticed similarities between Stearney\u2019s death and the suicide of an Army two-star general a few years before that, and how a probe later revealed \u201ca prolonged disruption of non-restorative sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The name of the officer was left out of the report, but an Army investigation into the 2016 death of Maj. Gen. John Rossi found the pressure of an impending promotion to three-star command and long periods running on little sleep triggered a lethal combination of stress and disorientation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the aftermath of Rossi\u2019s death, then-Army Secretary Eric Fanning ordered a review of mental health problems potentially plaguing his service\u2019s general officers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a March 2018 medical history report, Stearney had marked \u201cno\u201d when asked about depression, excessive worry or attempted suicide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While NCIS agents discovered no mental health records for Stearney, they found an Aug. 14, 2018, personalized wellness report for the vice admiral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou have feelings of apprehension about your future,\u201d the Stress and Coping section of the report states. \u201cAn optimistic outlook helps coping ability.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"5184\" height=\"3456\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635630632446034791-1589103jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-47750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635630632446034791-1589103jpg.jpg 5184w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635630632446034791-1589103jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635630632446034791-1589103jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635630632446034791-1589103jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635630632446034791-1589103jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635630632446034791-1589103jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 5184px) 100vw, 5184px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Josh Kvavle,  right, from Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, Center Pacific, demonstrates potential uses of Google Glass to Rear Adm. Scott Stearney, center, commander of Navy Warfare Development Command, and his chief of staff, Capt. Thomas Kiss, at the Navy Warfare Development Command headquarters at Naval Station Norfolk. The demonstration project is developed by the chief of naval operations Rapid Innovation Cell program, which uses commercial technologies to rapidly prototype solutions for the fleet. (U.S. Navy photo by Joseph Bara\/Released)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What CENTCOM staffers seemed to most often recall was Stearney\u2019s punishing work ethic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stearney worked daily from 6:45 a.m. to 7 p.m. at a prior command before taking the helm of 5th Fleet, a Marine assigned to CENTCOM recalled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At one point, he warned one of Stearney\u2019s aides to make sure he doesn\u2019t \u201cwork himself to death,\u201d according to the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Marine \u201crecalled making the comment\u2026because he was concerned for the stress of the job potentially causing medical issues for Stearney, such as a heart attack,\u201d the report states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One former staffer described to agents a hectic pace when Stearney arrived in Bahrain, the combination of the three-star\u2019s \u201cdemanding personality and high expectations of this staff,\u201d which \u201cnegatively impacted the morale of those who worked for him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But an August command climate survey conducted three months after Stearney arrived sparked \u201ca marked behavior change in the way Stearney treated his staff.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cStearney became more of a \u2018people person\u2019 and he seemed to make a more concerted effort to positively engage his support staff,\u201d the staffer reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>If you, a friend or a loved one is in crisis, please connect with a trained counselor now. Confidential, immediate help is available 24\/7 at no cost to active duty, Guard and reserve members, their families and friends. Contact the <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.veteranscrisisline.net\/ActiveDuty.aspx\"><i>Military Crisis Line<\/i><\/a><i> at 800-273-8255, then press 1, or access online chat by texting 838255. Your life matters.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Team, it&#39;s my sad duty to inform you that today the Secretary of the Navy and I were informed that Vice Adm. Scott Stearney, our commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and commander of U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, was found deceased in his residence in Bahrain today. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/FN8DAlWUng\">pic.twitter.com\/FN8DAlWUng<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (@USNavyCNO) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/USNavyCNO\/status\/1068971081803931649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 1, 2018<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The U.S 5th Fleet commander hanged himself in his Bahrain home on Dec. 1, 2018.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":33155,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":65,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["your-military","news","left-column","home","middle-column"],"primary_category":"your-military"}}},"categories":[101,22,23,88,12,26,65],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3355],"class_list":["post-23972","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-disaster","category-home","category-left-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-navy"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"54QQJM57JRFFBOJQERC4YOOEWQ","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/02\/25\/the-navys-investigation-into-vice-adm-scott-stearneys-suicide\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Navy\u2019s investigation into Vice Adm. Scott Stearney\u2019s suicide - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The U.S 5th Fleet commander hanged himself in his Bahrain home on Dec. 1, 2018.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Navy\u2019s investigation into Vice Adm. Scott Stearney\u2019s suicide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The U.S 5th Fleet commander hanged himself in his Bahrain home on Dec. 1, 2018.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/02\/25\/the-navys-investigation-into-vice-adm-scott-stearneys-suicide\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-02-25T22:40:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T19:24:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Geoff Ziezulewicz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Geoff Ziezulewicz\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2020\\\/02\\\/25\\\/the-navys-investigation-into-vice-adm-scott-stearneys-suicide\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2020\\\/02\\\/25\\\/the-navys-investigation-into-vice-adm-scott-stearneys-suicide\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"The Navy\u2019s investigation into Vice Adm. 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