Capt. Douglas Whimpey, the commodore of First Naval Construction Regiment (1 NCR), was relieved of his duties on Friday, Jan. 23, becoming the first individual to lose such a position this year.
He lost his role as commodore due to what the service attributed to the “loss of confidence in his ability to command,” according to a press release issued Saturday by Navy Expeditionary Combat Command Public Affairs and shared with Military.com.
Whimpey, a Navy reservist from Utah, was relieved by Capt. Angel Santiago, commander of Naval Construction Group (NCG) 1, headquartered in Port Hueneme, California. Capt. Steven Sherman, incoming commodore for 1 NCR, has assumed duties as 1 NCR’s commodore.
Capt. Whimpey was relieved due to a loss of the trust and confidence required for his position. Specific details concerning a loss of trust and confidence are not disclosed to protect privacy and due process, but such decisions are made with careful consideration of the facts known at the time, and the imperative to uphold the high standards of Navy leadership. - Lt. Cmdr. (LCDR) Katie Diener, spokesperson for Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, told Military.com.
“The decision to relieve a leader is made with the utmost care and after a thorough review by higher command leadership,” Diener added.
Whimpey is the first commanding officer or commodore relieved in the 2026 calendar year. While no longer commodore, the Navy reservist has been reassigned to a staff role at NCG-1.
Military.com has not yet received additional responses from the Navy to inquiries of what exactly led to Whimpey's relieving of duties, including specific details that led to the decision—as well as any timeline or history of action or inaction that may have led to Whimpey's superiors lacking confidence in his ability to lead, or his performance overall waning or dissipating.
He attained the rank of captain on Sept. 1, 2018, according to his biography and military record shared with Military.com. The Reserve Civil Engineer Corps Officer was commissioned on Aug. 15, 1997.
Whimpey’s record includes numerous awards and decorations, including Seabee Comb
at Warfare Specialist Officer; Fleet Marine Force Warfare Specialist Officer; Expeditionary Warfare Specialist Officer; Meritorious Service Medal (2); Joint Service Commendation Medal; Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal (4); Joint Service Achievement Medal; Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal; Joint Meritorious Unit Award; and Navy Unit Commendation (2), among others.
“Navy leaders are expected to uphold the highest standards of responsibility, reliability, and leadership personally and professionally, and the Navy holds them accountable when they fall short of those standards,” officials said in a statement.
Naval Construction Regiments provide command and control of Naval Construction Force units while operating in a specific geographic area or supporting a specific military operation.
Officials said “there has been no impact to operations” since Whimpey lost his role.
This story was updated to reflect that Military.com has not received additional details from the Navy on what led to Whimpey's relieving of duties.
