The Navy has fired the commanding officer of the Japan-based destroyer USS Howard, in line with an announcement launched Sunday.
“Cmdr. Kenji Igawa was relieved of command Aug. 19, 2023, by Vice Adm. Karl Thomas, commander, U.S. seventh Fleet, as a result of lack of confidence in his means to command,” the Navy mentioned in its assertion.
The Navy mentioned that Capt. Edward Angelinas will take over because the Howard’s commander till everlasting aid arrives. Within the meantime, Igawa is being reassigned to the workers of Commander, U.S. seventh Fleet.
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It doesn’t seem that both the ship’s govt officer or its high enlisted adviser have been relieved.
Igawa took command of the Howard in December.
Though the Navy’s assertion didn’t go into why Igawa was relieved, he was being praised by the ocean service solely months prior in a narrative written by the workers of the commander of Naval Floor Forces.
Within the story, which was revealed in July however since taken down, Igawa was described as one among just a few Japanese-American commissioned officers who was commanding a ship in “a area of excessive strategic significance to the U.S. and the world.”
Navy.com reviewed a model of the story that was captured by the Web Archive the day the aid was introduced.
The piece mentioned that Igawa was a Naval Academy graduate who spent a lot of his naval profession working in or round Japan. He served as a junior officer aboard one other Japanese-based destroyer, the usStethem. He would additionally go on to work because the Japan Desk Chief for the Technique Plans and Coverage Directorate of the Joint Chiefs of Employees.
“It’s an honor of a lifetime to be Howard’s commanding officer,” mentioned Igawa about serving because the commanding officer within the piece.
Igawa is at the very least the fifth ship commander to be relieved this yr by the Navy.
— Konstantin Toropin might be reached at konstantin.toropin@army.com. Comply with him on Twitter @ktoropin.
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