Thursday 16 June 2022 06:52 AM One of FIVE US Navy commanders axed in last six days was ousted after being ... trends now
One of the five US Navy commanding officers fired last week was removed from his position for being caught drunk driving, it has been claimed.
Cmdr. Peter Lesaca, commanding officer of USS Preble guided-missile destroyer, was relieved from his duties 'due to loss of confidence in his ability to command,' according to a Navy statement released on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Navy spokesman Cmdr. Arlo Abrahamson told Military.com the commander's removal came after he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.
The reasons for the dismissal of the other four were not given, and it remains unclear if Lesaca was convicted of the charge he faces, or what stage the case is at.
'Navy commanding officers are held to high standards of personal and professional conduct,' the Navy said.
'They are expected to uphold the highest standards of responsibility, reliability and leadership, and the Navy holds them accountable when they fall short of these standards.'
Cmdr. Peter Lesaca, commanding officer of USS Preble guided-missile destroyer, was relieved from his duties on June 14 'due to loss of confidence in his ability to command'. On Wednesday a Navy spokesman said he was caught driving under the influence
Lesaca worked on the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Preble before he was fired. Pictured: The USS Preble departs Naval Base San Diego in 2013
One of the commanding officers, who was fired on June 8, was reportedly relieved due to inappropriate behavior.
The Navy noted in a statement on Tuesday that the shakeup will have no impact to the command's mission or schedule.
Capt. Larry Repass, deputy commodore, Destroyer Squadron 23, will assume the duties as commanding officer until the permanent and qualified relief arrives, the statement noted.
The Navy did not say where Lesaca will be reassigned.
Cmdr. Peter Lesaca
Lesaca is a native of San Diego, CA and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science degree in History.
He has served on multiple destroyers, including USS Laboon and USS Gonzalez in Norfolk, Virginia, USS Harpers Ferry in Japan, USS Decatur in San Diego and USS Chung-Hoon in Pearl Harbor.
Lesaca has received several awards over the years, his bio states, and was the recipient of the 2012 Vice Admiral Kihune Award for Leadership. He also was given the 2013 Navy League of the United States' John Paul Jones Award for Inspirational Leadership.
The commander's firing comes just three days after Capt. Jeffrey Sandin, commanding officer of the Navy's Recruit Training Command, was dismissed on June 11 'due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command.'
Capt. Kertreck Brooks, chief of staff of Naval Service Training Command, took over Sandin's duties.
Lesaca is a native of San Diego, CA and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science degree in History
Capt. Jeffrey Sandin
Sandin, a native of Bloomville, New York, enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1986. He graduated in 2003 from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Arts degree in business management and graduated in 2016 from Regent University with a Master of Arts degree in organizational leadership.
He was commissioned in 1997 through the Limited Duty Officer Program. He has previously served aboard the former USS Nashville (LPD-13), the former USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67), USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) and USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), according to his Navy bio.
In 2021, he assumed command of Recruit Training Command. Since his dismissal in June 2022, Sandin has been reassigned to Naval Service Training Command headquarters.
A day prior to Sandin's dismissal, on June 10, USS Bulkeley destroyer commanding officer Cmdr. Devine Johnson and Command Master Chief Earl Sanders were also both fired 'due to a loss of confidence in their ability to effectively function as a command leadership team.'
Capt. Jeffry Sandin, commanding officer of the Navy's Recruit Training Command, was dismissed on June 11 three days before Lesaca was fired
Cmdr. Devine Johnson
Johnson is a native of Timmonsville, South Carolina and joined the Navy in 2003. He became a commanding officer of the USS
