The Navy relieved the commander of the USS Howard on Saturday due to a loss of confidence.

Vice Adm. Karl Thomas, the commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet, which is based in the Pacific region, relieved Cmdr. Kenji Igawa of his responsibilities and subsequently will administratively reassign him to the staff of commander, U.S. 7th Fleet.

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Capt. Edward Angelinas, former commanding officer of USS Robert Smalls, will fill the vacancy left by Igawa's demotion temporarily, though the Navy did not name who will be the permanent replacement.

"Navy commanding officers are held to high standards of personal and professional conduct," the Navy said in its statement. "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."

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The statement from the Navy announcing the personnel change did not specify what prompted the decision.

Igawa graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2004 with a degree in electrical engineering. Before his latest position, he served as a combat systems officer and a weapons officer aboard USS Princeton, assistant damage control assistant and repair division officer aboard USS Tarawa, and communications officer aboard USS Stethem, among other positions.