Vice Adm. John Stufflebeem, a career naval aviator, was relieved as director of the Navy staff last week by the Navy's top officer, Adm. Gary Roughead, Navy spokesman Capt. Frank Thorp said.

The investigation by the Pentagon inspector general began on the basis of an anonymous letter accusing Stufflebeem of having an inappropriate relationship while serving as a military aide to President George H.W. Bush in 1990. The investigation's findings, which have not been made public, are under review by the Navy.

Pending the outcome of the review, Stufflebeem remains a member of Roughead's staff, but at a two-star level, Thorp said.

Stufflebeem served as deputy director for global operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2001 and appeared before reporters at the Pentagon as a spokesman in the early months of the war in Afghanistan.

He is a 1975 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and was designated a naval aviator in 1980.

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