Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley joined in mourning the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whose landmark rulings and lifetime of advocacy for gender equality had a major impact on the military.

Under the heading "Equal Justice Under the Law," the phrase engraved at the entrance to the Supreme Court, Milley said on Twitter that Ginsburg's death Friday at age 87 was a "great loss for the country" and for the "scores of people she taught and inspired."

"She was an exceptional legal scholar, a selfless public servant and a role model," he said in a Twitter post put out by the Joint Staff shortly after Ginsburg's death.

In her most recent vote on the court with implications for the military, Ginsburg in June joined with the majority in a 6-3 ruling that a 1964 statute against workplace sex discrimination also applies to transgender rights.

The majority opinion -- written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, a nominee of President Donald Trump, and joined by Chief Justice John Roberts -- gave support to lawsuits seeking to overturn the military's current restrictions on transgender service, according to advocacy groups.

The ruling "has great significance for the ban" on transgender military service ordered by Trump, said Jennifer Levi, of GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD).

The captain who oversaw the Navy's largest and oldest industrial facility has been removed from his job.

Capt. Kai Torkelson, who led the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia, was relieved of command Monday by Vice Adm. Bill Galinis, the head of Naval Sea Systems Command. Galinis lost confidence in Torkelson's ability to command, according to a Navy news release announcing the relief.

No additional details about the situation were immediately provided. Officials with Naval Sea Systems Command did not respond to questions about what led Galinis to lose confidence in Torkelson's ability to command.

Rear Adm. Howard Markle, director of NAVSEA's industrial operations directorate, has assumed duties as the acting commander until a permanent relief is named, officials said in the release.

Torkelson, a third-generation naval officer, assumed command of Norfolk Naval Shipyard in June 2018, according to his official bio. He spent 12 years as a submarine officer before joining the engineering community.

He was one of the first five engineering duty officers to volunteer for an Operation Iraqi Freedom assignment, the bio states. Torkelson traveled throughout 14 of Iraq's 18 provinces, where he rebuilt the country's military bases alongside local officials, according to his bio.

His personal awards include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service, Navy Commendation and Navy Achievement Medals.

Torkelson is at least the fourth Navy leader to be relieved of command in the last month due to a loss of confidence.

U.S. Central Command has directed the deployment of Bradley Fighting Vehicles, advanced Sentinel radar systems and other assets to northeastern Syria to protect the remaining few hundred U.S. troops against Islamic State attack, CENTCOM said in a statement Friday.

The nature of the new threat posed by ISIS that triggered this U.S. response was not described, but U.S fighter patrols have also been increased over the region, said Navy Capt. Bill Urban, a CENTCOM spokesman.

The M2A2 Bradleys generally carry a 25mm Bushmaster chain gun and TOW anti-tank missiles, while the Sentinel system can be used for counter-battery target acquisition and air defense.

"These actions are a clear demonstration of U.S. resolve to defend Coalition forces in the [Eastern Syria Security Area], and to ensure that they are able to continue their defeat-ISIS mission without interference," Urban said of the buildup.