The Navy fired the commanding officer of the ballistic missile submarine Alabama on Friday.
Rear Adm. Nicholas Tilbrook, commander of Submarine Group 9, relieved Cmdr. Michael Lyle due to a “loss of confidence in his ability to command,” the service announced Monday.
Lyle, originally from Fairport, New York, became the commanding officer of the boomer in August 2022. He previously served as the submarine special operations officer with Commander, Task Force 74 in Yokosuka, Japan, and the executive officer of the ballistic missile submarine Louisiana.
Cmdr. Larry J. Arbuckle, deputy commodore of Commander, Submarine Squadron 17, is now temporarily serving as CO of the Alabama, which is based out of Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor in Washington.
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“Navy commanding officers are held to high standards of personal and professional conduct,” the Navy said in its statement Monday. “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.”
No additional details were provided.
Lyle is one of at least eight Navy commanding officers relieved in 2023. Most recently, the Navy relieved Capt. Paul Choate, who was commanding officer of Fleet Readiness Center Mid-Atlantic, in August due to a loss of confidence.
