This post has been updated with a statement from the Navy.
The commander of a Mayport, Fla.-based guided-missile destroyer was relieved from command “due to a loss of confidence,” two Navy officials told USNI News on Thursday.
Cmdr. Jeffery Servello, commander of USS Paul Ignatius (DDG-117), was removed from his position on Thursday, the officials confirmed.
The relief comes after an investigation into the ship’s performance during a 2021 exercise in which the crew had made mistakes during an anti-air warfare drill in the Atlantic, two sources familiar with the exercise told USNI News.
“Rear Adm. Brendan McLane, Commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic, relieved the commanding officer of USS Paul Ignatius (DDG-117), Cmdr. Jeffrey Servello, due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command,” the Navy said in a statement.
“Servello served as the commanding officer of Paul Ignatius since June 2021. Cmdr. Eric Meyers will be temporarily assigned as commanding officer until a permanent relief is identified. Servello will be temporarily reassigned to the staff of Naval Surface Squadron 14 (CNSS 14).”
A Navy spokesperson contacted by USNI News on Thursday did not offer additional details on the circumstances of the relief beyond that it did not involve personal misconduct.
In a statement to USNI News, Servello said he was disappointed with the determination made by the service.
“I was notified today by SURFLANT that I would no longer be the commanding officer of USS Paul Ignatius. Working with the sailors and their families has been the honor of my career. I wish them well and know they will continue to do great things,” he said, referring to Naval Surface Force Atlantic.
“While deeply disappointed by this decision, I understand that the buck stops with me as the commanding officer, regardless of the circumstances or extenuating details. I look forward to finishing my time in the Navy and beginning a new chapter in civilian life.”
Servello took command of the destroyer in June after serving as the ship’s commissioning executive officer. Ignatius is one of the newest ships in the Navy, entering the fleet in 2019.
The 2002 Naval Academy graduate is a career surface warfare officer who previously commanded the Cyclone-class patrol ship USS Squall (PC-7) in the Persian Gulf, served aboard cruiser USS Port Royal (CG-73) and as the chief engineer on both USS Nitze (DDG-94) and cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG-55), according to his biography.
Ashore, Servello was an instructor and the Naval Academy and the Surface Warfare Officers School, as well as a detailer at Navy Personnel Command in Millington, Tenn.
Jeffery Servello is the brother of Chris Servello, the spokesperson of former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson. Richardson was the subject of a 2018 Department of Defense Inspector General investigation, in which the IG found Richardson had failed to appropriately handle findings of misconduct of his spokesman following complaints from several women after a 2016 holiday party.
The following is the complete Jan. 6, 2021 statement from Cmdr. Jeffery Servello.
I was notified today by SURFLANT that I would no longer be the commanding officer of USS Paul Ignatius. Working with the Sailors and their families has been the honor of my career. I wish them well and know they will continue to do great things.
While deeply disappointed by this decision, I understand that the buck stops with me as the commanding officer, regardless of the circumstances or extenuating details. I look forward to finishing my time in the Navy and beginning a new chapter in civilian life.
The following is the complete Jan. 6, 2021 statement from Surface Force Atlantic.
USS Paul Ignatius (DDG 117) Commanding Officer Relieved
On January 6, 2022, Rear Adm. Brendan McLane, Commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic, relieved the commanding officer of USS Paul Ignatius (DDG 117), Cmdr. Jeffrey Servello, due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command.
Servello served as the commanding officer of Paul Ignatius since June 2021. Cmdr. Eric Meyers will be temporarily assigned as commanding officer until a permanent relief is identified. Servello will be temporarily reassigned to the staff of Naval Surface Squadron 14 (CNSS 14).
SURFLANT mans, trains and equips assigned surface forces and shore activities, ensuring a capable force for conducting prompt and sustained operations in support of United States national interests. The SURFLANT force is composed of nearly 80 ships and 33 shore commands.
