Braxton Taylor
The Navy has relieved both the commanding officer and his deputy, the executive officer, from their posts leading the U.S. Naval Ship Repair Facility and Japan Regional Maintenance Center in Yokosuka, Japan, a statement announced over the weekend.
Capt. Zaldy Valenzuela and Cmdr. Art Palalay were relieved of their duties as commanding officer and executive officer, respectively, on Sunday “due to a loss of confidence in their ability to command.”
According to its website, the command, which has locations in Yokosuka and Sasebo, Japan, as well as Singapore, is responsible for “keeping the 7th Fleet operationally ready.”
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The firing of Valenzuela marks at least the 10th firing of a commanding officer this year over a “loss of confidence in their ability to command.”
Loss of confidence is a boilerplate reason provided by the Navy, and other military services, that can encompass anything from issues with the way the commander is treating their crew to personal actions like drunken driving.
A Navy official told Military.com that the relief of Valenzuela and Palalay was over personal misconduct.
Navy officials have previously said the sea service relieved 15 commanding officers in 2023. There are currently around 1,600 commanding officers in the active-duty Navy across all communities.
It’s not clear how many executive officers have been relieved in 2024 since the Navy does not usually announce those publicly.
According to records provided by the Navy, Valenzuela commissioned in 1999 and served as a surface warfare officer before moving to an engineering specialty. He was stationed aboard the amphibious assault ships USS Bonhomme Richard and USS Denver before first serving at the ship repair facility he would later command in 2005.
His service record shows he went on to hold a variety of other shore billets before reporting back to the repair facility as its commander in May 2023.
Meanwhile, Palalay began his career as an enlisted sailor, joining the Navy in 1993, and spent much of it on various ships.
As an enlisted sailor, he served aboard the cruisers USS Bunker Hill, Princeton, Robert Smalls and Vincennes before earning his commission in 2006.
After becoming an officer, Palalay went back to sea, initially as a surface warfare officer before, like Valenzuela, shifting to an engineering specialization. He was stationed aboard the cruiser USS Chosin and the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer, as well as the command ship USS Blue Ridge.
He reported to the Yokosuka-based ship repair facility in June 2023.
Palalay’s awards include two Meritorious Service Medals, two Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medals and four Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medals, along with a host of campaign and service awards.
Valenzuela’s awards include four Meritorious Service Medals, a Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal and two Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medals, as well as a number of campaign and service awards.
According to the Navy’s statement, Capt. Dan Lannamann has temporarily assumed leadership of the repair command, while Cmdr. Timothy Emge, the command’s operations officer, has assumed the position of executive officer until a permanent replacement is selected.
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