Capt. Brandon Burkett will assume the duties as commanding officer until a permanent relief arrives. DeFant will be reassigned to Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet.

Navy commanding officers are held to high standards of personal and professional conduct. 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.

For additional questions, please contract Cmdr. Arlo Abrahamson, Naval Surface Force Public Affairs Officer, at arlo.k.abrahamson.mil@us.navy.mil.