The US Navy quietly relieved the commanding officer of a destroyer deployed in the war with Iran, and never announced the move until it was reported this week.
Cmdr. Caitlin Cunningham was removed as commander of the guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy on September 27 due to a “loss of confidence,” a Navy spokesperson confirmed to USNI News. The Navy gave no further details. Cunningham had taken command on October 24, 2025, less than a year earlier.
The Michael Murphy deployed from Pearl Harbor on December 1, 2025, as part of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group. It initially sailed to the Indo-Pacific before heading to the Middle East for Operation Epic Fury and the naval blockade of Iran. The destroyer stayed in the region after the Lincoln strike group left in August, before departing itself in mid-October.
The ship returned to Pearl Harbor this week after a 346-day deployment. According to the Navy, its crew completed 12 contested transits of the Strait of Hormuz and was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation.
Cunningham’s removal is part of a wider pattern. The Associated Press reported that the Navy has quietly fired or removed several senior officers in recent months, breaking with its usual practice of announcing such changes, which has drawn pushback from Congress. Normally, the firing of a ship’s commanding officer would be announced within days, but in Cunningham’s case the Navy offered no public comment even when asked.
The Michael Murphy’s return comes as other ships remain locked into the Iran mission. Earlier this week, Navy leaders told families of sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush to prepare for a deployment that could last as long as a year.
