Navy relieves commanding officer of USS Howard

The Navy ousted the commanding officer of the guided-missile destroyer Howard on Saturday.

Vice Adm. Karl Thomas, commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet, relieved Cmdr. Kenji Igawa from his duties “due to loss of confidence in his ability to command,” the Navy said in a statement Sunday.

Igawa, who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2004, previously served as the executive officer of the Howard. He became the commanding officer of the ship in December 2022.

“Cmdr. Igawa will be administratively reassigned to the staff of Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet,” the Navy said in a statement Sunday.

Former commanding officer of the guided-missile cruiser Robert Smalls, Capt. Edward Angelinas, will stand in as commanding officer until a permanent replacement is identified.

No other details were immediately available.

The Howard is based in Yokosuka, Japan and is assigned to Commander, Task Force 71/Destroyer Squadron 15.

In Other News

Major leadership shakeup, new budget battles coming to VA in 2025

The major Veterans Affairs stories we're keeping an eye on in 2025.

Rollback of DOD anti-extremism efforts coming in 2025, experts predict

The piecemeal progress of extremism-prevention efforts during the past four years is more than can be expected out of the Pentagon in 2025, experts said.

From Grinch greetings to Santa sightings, the holidays come to troops

Holiday helpers have been busy, as plenty of organizations and individuals have been working to make the days a bit brighter for troops and their families.

Will most troops move under new household goods program in 2025?

More than half of installations in the continental United States are moving troops' shipments under the new system.

VA to resume new electronic health record rollout in mid-2026

The project was scheduled to take 10 years and cost $16 billion. Nearly eight years later, only six of VA’s 170-plus medical sites are using the software.

Load More