PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Captain Kai Torkelson was relieved Monday as commanding officer of Norfolk Naval Shipyard, according to a news release, due to a "loss of confidence in his ability to command."
Asked Tuesday to elaborate about Torkelson's removal, Naval Sea Systems Command, in a statement to 13News Now said: "The relief is tied to issues related to a loss of confidence in leadership to correct underlying performance issues that affect Norfolk Naval Shipyard's maintenance schedule."
Torkelson's departure follows high profile criticism of the nation's four publicly-owned naval shipyards, with the Government Accountability Office finding that the four yards recorded 7,424 days of maintenance delays.
"This is a critical national security issue," said retired Navy captain and former Naval Station Norfolk commanding officer Joe Bouchard. "Delays in completing maintenance periods impact the operational readiness of the fleet, the combat readiness of the fleet."
Bouchard said the problems go far deeper than just one man, and the Navy will have to do much more than simply firing Torkelson.
"There are systematic problems that go well beyond any particular individual, including the lack of manpower, which has to be addressed, issues with how the Navy plans and schedules availabilities."
For the short term, Rear Admiral Howard Markle has been assigned as Interim Commanding Officer of Norfolk Naval Shipyard. The Navy says that Captain Dianna Wolfson will relieve Markle by early 2021.