U.S. Admiral in Charge of Middle East Naval Force Found Dead in Bahrain Home

The U.S. Navy senior admiral in the Middle East has been found dead at his residence in Bahrain, the Navy said on Saturday.

Foul play was not suspected in the death of vice Admiral Scott Stearney, said the Navy, which did not specify the cause of death.

"Team, it's my sad duty to inform you that today the Secretary of the Navy and I were told that vice Admiral Scott Stearney, the commander of US Naval Forces Central Command and the commander of U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain was found deceased in his residence in Bahrain today," said Admiral John Richardson, the Chief of Naval Operations, in a video statement released by the Navy.

Stearney, a Chicago native, was the commander of the U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet.

"The Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Bahraini Ministry of Interior are cooperating on the investigation, but at this time no foul play is suspected," said Richardson, adding that Stearney's deputy, Rear Admiral Paul Schlise, had assumed command.

"This is devastating news for the Stearney family, for the team at Fifth Fleet and for the entire Navy," Richardson said. "Scott Stearney was a decorated naval warrior. He was a devoted husband and father. And he was a good friend to all of us."

Stearney had only been assigned to the role in May.

A University of Notre Dame graduate, Stearney was commissioned as a Navy officer in October 1982 and became a Naval aviator, according to his Navy biography.

"Operationally, he served in numerous strike fighter squadrons flying the FA-18 Hornet," according to the biography, and served in Kabul, Afghanistan, as chief of staff of Joint Task Force 435 and later Combined Joint Interagency Task Force 435.

In the U.S., Stearney served as instructor and readiness officer at Navy Fighter Weapons School and also held various senior posts, including as director of operations at U.S. Central Command.