--- title: "Navy fires First Naval Construction Regiment commodore for ‘loss of confidence’" description: "Capt. Douglas Whimpey, who has served as commodore of the regiment since 2023, was removed due a \"loss of confidence\" in his command." date: "2026-01-24" modified: "2026-01-24" authors: - name: "Nicholas Slayton" job_title: "Contributing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/nicholas-slayton.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/navy-naval-construction-regiment-relieved-whimpey/" categories: - "Military Branches" - "Navy" - "News" --- # Navy fires First Naval Construction Regiment commodore for ‘loss of confidence’ ![Capt. Douglas Whimpey in his headshot as commodore of First Naval Construction Regiment. He was relieved of command on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026.]() *Capt. Douglas Whimpey. Navy photo.* The head of the First Naval Construction Regiment was removed from his post on Friday, Navy Expeditionary Combat Command announced. Capt. Douglas Whimpey was relieved of his role as commodore of the regiment after more than two years “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command,’ the Navy said. “Navy leaders are expected to uphold the highest standards of responsibility, reliability, and leadership personally and professionally, and the Navy holds them accountable when they fall short of those standards,” the statement said. Whimpey was removed from the post by Capt. Angel Santiago, head of Naval Construction Group 1. The Navy often uses “loss of confidence” as a catchall term to explain why a commander has been relieved. The term can be and has been used to cover everything from personal misconduct to overall poor performance. The Navy did not provide any additional information on the nature of Whimpey’s firing, except to say that it has “no impact to operations.” Whimpey, a Navy Reservist, had been in charge of the regiment since 2023. According to his own [remarks]() when he assumed command, he had previously served with the regiment while deployed to Iraq in 2005. It oversees the Seabees of Naval Mobile Construction Battalions 18, 22, and 25. Both the regiment and Naval Construction Group 1 are based out of Port Hueneme, California. Capt. Steven Sherman, took over as commodore for the regiment. Whimpey has been temporarily assigned to the staff of Naval Construction Group 1. ## Author Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. ### Author social links [Twitter]()