US Navy Fires Top Officers at Ship Repair Facility in Japan

U.S. Navy sailors welcome the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan as it arrives at the U.S. Navy base in Yokosuka, a suburb of Tokyo, on Oct. 1, 2015. Toru Yamanaka/AFP via Getty Images

The two top officers of a U.S. Navy ship repair and maintenance facility in Yokosuka, Japan, were relieved of duty on Oct. 20, according to the Navy.

Capt. Zaldy Valenzuela and Cmdr. Art Palalay were relieved of their respective duties as commanding officer and executive officer due to “a loss of confidence in their ability to command,” the Navy said in a statement, without elaborating.

“The Navy holds commanding officers and others in authority to the highest standards,” the statement said. “Naval leaders are entrusted with significant responsibilities to their Sailors and commands.”

Capt. Dan Lannamann has temporarily taken over as facility commander, and Cmdr. Timothy Emge, the facility’s operations officer, has taken the position temporarily of executive officer until a permanent replacement is found, the Navy said.

The facility—known as the U.S. Naval Ship Repair Facility and Japan Regional Maintenance Center (SRF-JRMC)—is responsible for keeping the 7th fleet “operationally ready,” according to its website.

The facility provides intermediate-level and depot-level repair for Navy ships and the 7th Fleet, the Navy stated.

Valenzuela was commissioned in 1999 and his previous assignments include ship superintendent and carrier-type desk officer at the SRF-JRMC, according to Navy records.

Before joining the facility, he served as the electrical division officer on the USS Bonhomme Richard, assistant operations officer on the USS Denver, and as combat and communications systems officer on the USS Blue Ridge.

Palalay enlisted in 1993 and was commissioned in 2006. His previous assignments on sea duty include the USS Bunker Hill, the USS Princeton, the USS Chancellorsville, and the USS Vincennes with deployments through the 5th Fleet and 7th Fleet areas of operations.

He served as the surface engineering limited duty and chief warrant officer detailer at Navy Personnel Command from 2016 to 2017, and the readiness officer at Commander Naval Surface Forces Pacific in 2020 before joining the SRF-JRMC as executive officer last year, according to Navy records.

The Navy rarely provides specific reasons for relieving commanding or executive officers, typically citing only “loss of confidence.”  In August, the Navy relieved from duty the commanding officer of the USS John S. McCain, Cmdr. Cameron Yaste, citing the same reason.

In March, the Navy relieved Capt. Richard A. Zaszewski of his duties as commodore of Naval Special Warfare Group Eight. During the same month, it also relieved from duty the commanding officer of the Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Ohio, Capt. Kurt D. Balagna, citing loss of confidence.