The commanding officer of the guided-missile destroyer Preble was relieved Tuesday — becoming the fourth commanding officer removed in the past week.
Cmdr. Peter Lesaca was relieved “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command,” the Navy said. Deputy commodore of Destroyer Squadron 23, Capt. Larry Repass, will temporarily assume responsibility as commanding officer until a permanent replacement is identified.
No other details were provided. The destroyer is homeported in San Diego.
On June 8, the Navy ousted the commanding officer of Electronic Attack Squadron 137 due to a loss of confidence. The squadron is currently deployed with the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group.
Additionally, the commanding officer and command master chief of the guided-missile destroyer Bulkeley were removed from their duties on June 10, and the head of Recruit Training Command Great Lakes was relieved June 11. The Navy said the leaders were removed due to a loss of confidence.
“Navy commanding officers are held to high standards of personal and professional conduct,” the Navy said in a statement Tuesday. “They are expected to uphold the highest standards of responsibility, reliability and leadership, and the Navy holds them accountable when they fall short of those standards.”
