What Can Get a VADM Fired?

keep it short, vague, and aligned with your boss

Well, if you are German, all it takes is this;

The head of the German navy resigned late Saturday after coming under fire at home and abroad for comments he made on Ukraine and Russia. Speaking at an event in India on Friday, vice admiral Kay-Achim Schoenbach had said Ukraine would not regain the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014. Schoenbach also said it was important to have Russia on the same side against China, and suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin deserved “respect."

At some point in my career spending 9 of my 21 years on GOFO staffs, I was told that it is best to make sure that the principal not be allowed too much "free swim" time if there is any kind of press or recording present. 

I've seen more than one Chief of Staff emphatically make that point to incoming Loops. Most GOFO are self-aware of this and don't need or want a COS or Loop staring laser beams at them or finding awkward excuses to bring a meeting to an end ... but Generals and Admirals are human too. You can get tired, you can get comfortable, and you can forget who you are, where you are, and what your job is.

I like the cut of VADM Schoenbach's jib, but with the incredibly fragile situation in Ukraine, I don't think the present SDP/Green/FDP government really had a choice.

Shame.

You really should see the whole thing to get an understanding of how he got here. There full video is below. It starts when VADM Schoenbach starts speaking, but if you want to see him steer a course over his own minefield go to the 1:08 point.