US Navy fires senior commander of naval shipyard in Japan

US warships inside a repair facility in Yokohama.

The US Navy announced on October 20 that Colonel Zaldy Valenzuela and his deputy, Lieutenant Commander Art Palalay, were relieved of their positions as commanding officer and executive officer, respectively, of the Ship Repair Facility and Regional Maintenance Center in Japan (SRF-JRMC).

Colonel Dan Lannamann, former commanding officer of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Conservation Center in Norfolk, Virginia, is temporarily taking over the leadership of SRF-JRMC. Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Emge, an officer at the center, will serve as executive officer until the Navy selects a replacement.

"The Navy holds commanding officers and other officers in authority to the highest standards," the Navy said in a statement, adding that commanding officers are responsible for the sailors and men under their command.

The announcement did not specify the reasons for the dismissal, as the US Navy does not routinely release reasons in similar cases, instead using the phrase "loss of confidence".

The firing of Officer Valenzuela and his deputy marks at least the 10th time a commanding officer has been fired by the US Navy for "loss of confidence" in his leadership ability.

The US Navy has carried out several officer-level firings this year, including the dismissal of a SEAL lieutenant colonel of Naval Special Warfare Group 8 in March; the firing of the commanding officer of the nuclear-powered guided-missile submarine USS Ohio in the same month; the dismissal in February of the head of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Howard in the US; and the firing of the commanding officer of the submarine USS Georgia in January.

Equipped with six drydocks, SRF-JRMC provides repair services to US Navy ships in the 7th Fleet, which is also the largest US forward operating fleet, with 50 to 70 surface ships and submarines.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hai-quan-us-sa-thai-chi-huy-cap-cao-cua-xuong-tau-hai-quan-o-nhat-185241022060606683.htm