This story has been updated to add comment from BUMED.
The Navy on Friday relieved the commanding officer of Naval Medical Research Unit, South, the service announced.
The head of Naval Medical Research Command, Capt. Franca Jones, relieved Capt. Abigail Yablonsky Marter “due to a loss of confidence in her ability to command,” according to a Friday statement from the service.
Marter was relieved following an investigation, Cmdr. Jessica McNulty, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery spokesperson, told USNI News in an email. The Navy does not comment on pending or future administrative or disciplinary actions, she said in the email.
“Capt. Marter will be temporarily reassigned to Naval Medical Research Command,” the statement reads.
“Navy Commanding Officers are held to the highest standards of personal and professional conduct. They are expected to uphold the highest standards of responsibility, reliability, and leadership, and the Navy holds them accountable when they fall short of meeting these standards.”
The executive officer of Naval Medical Unit, South, Cmdr. Michael Prouty, will serve as the interim officer.
Marter is in the Nurse Corps and had been the commanding officer of Naval Medical Research Unit, South, which is based in Peru, since July 2023. Prior to taking over the Naval Medical Research Unit, Marter was Naval Medical Research Command’s deputy commander, according to her service biography.
