Navy fires commanding officer of San Diego Reserve Center

Capt. Russell A. Herrell was relieved of his duties on Tuesday as commanding officer of the Naval Information Force Reserve Readiness Center in San Diego.
Sailors man the rails on the flight deck of amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA 5) as it transits under the Coronado Bay bridge. Peleliu will participate in exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), a large multinational naval exercise, as the command ship for the expeditionary strike group and is scheduled to conduct a follow-on deployment to the 7th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Dustin Knight/Released)
The Navy fired Capt. Russell Herrell, the commander of Naval Information Force Reserve Readiness Center San Diego, on Tuesday. Above, the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu transits under the Coronado Bay bridge in San Diego. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Dustin Knight

The Navy has fired Capt. Russell A. Herrell as the commanding officer of the Naval Information Force Reserve Readiness Center in San Diego, the service announced Tuesday.

Rear Adm. Greg Emery, commander of Naval Information Force Reserve, relieved Herrell of his duties on Tuesday “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command,” a Navy news release says.

Navy officials did not provide a specific reason why Herrell was fired. All the military branches routinely cite “loss of confidence” rather than specific reasons when commanding officers and senior enlisted leaders are relieved. The vague term may encompass a wide range of issues from poor on-the-job performance or leadership to bad behavior off duty.

“The Navy maintains the highest standards for leaders and holds them accountable when those standards are not met,” Tuesday’s brief news release says.

Herrell has been temporarily reassigned to Navy Reserve Center Denver, Tuesday’s news release says. In February 2023, he reported to the San Diego readiness center, which provides administrative support to attached units,

The Naval Information Force Reserve command was formerly known as the Information Dominance Corps Reserve Command, according to a Navy web page on the units, and produces meteorology and oceanography data, information operations, networks, cryptology and signals intelligence.

“Information Warfare Officers perform numerous missions to include offensive and defensive cyber operations, analyzing environmental conditions, identifying and targeting advisory assets, and space operations,”  according to the Navy. 

Capt. Mark Meade has been temporarily assigned as the San Diego readiness center’s commanding officer.

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Jeff Schogol

Senior Pentagon Reporter

Jeff Schogol is the senior Pentagon reporter for Task & Purpose. He has covered the military for nearly 20 years. Email him at schogol@taskandpurpose.com or direct message @JSchogol73030 on Twitter.