US Navy fires third high-ranking leader this year: Captain of USS Ohio guided missile submarine is removed due to 'loss of confidence' weeks after USS Georgia captain and USS Howard Commander are also sent packing

The US Navy has relieved yet another high-ranking leader from their position after Capt. Kurt Balagna of the USS Ohio, a guided missile submarine, was freed 'due to a loss of confidence,' the Navy said in a vague statement.

The decision was taken by the commander of Submarine Group 9 Rear Admiral Nicholas Tilbrook. 

Balagna was the gold crew commander on the ship, one of the vessel's alternate crews with one remaining at homeport and other manning the submarine. 

Federal privacy laws mean the that the US military are not required to release the reasons for the firing of commanders. 'Loss of confidence' is a common reason given without specifics. 

According to his Navy biography, Balagna, a native of Farmington, Illinois, joined the Navy in 1992 as a nuclear electronics commission having been in an ROTC program. In 1997, he graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in nuclear engineering. 

Prior to his commission on the USS Ohio, Balagna served as an executive officer on board the USS Virginia and was a commanding officer on the USS Annapolis. 

According to his Navy biography, Balagna, a native of Farmington, Illinois, joined the Navy in 1992 as a nuclear electronics commission

Geoffry Patterson, 53, was arrested on January 8 in Camden County, Georgia, and relieved of his duties on January 12 after being accused of driving under the influence 

The USS Howard's Cmdr. Cameron Dennis in February was relieved in command after reports he made 'unprofessional remarks'

During his career, Balagna has been awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, as well as other commendations. 

Balagna is married with four children and lives on the outskirts of Seattle.   

His removal follows the firing of USS Howard's Cmdr. Cameron Dennis in February and USS Georgia commander Capt. Geoffry Patterson in February. 

The Ohio is a sister ship of the Georgia. 

In February 2021, CNN referred to the Ohio as the 'most fearsome US Navy weapon in the pacific.' The ship at the time was under Balagna's command. 

According to the report, President Joe Biden had removed the ship's nuclear weapon firing capabilities but it retained its ferocious reputation as it was armed with 154 1,000 mile range tomahawk missiles. 

'One-hundred and fifty-four Tomahawks accurately deliver a lot of punch. No opponent of the US can ignore the threat,' Carl Schuster, a former Navy captain told the network. 

The captain of the Ohio's sister ship, the Georgia, was let go in the wake of a DUI arrest. While Commander Cameron Dennis was accused of making 'unprofessional remarks,' reports Navy Times. 

The USS Georgia (pictured) is one of the Navy's premier vessels, and has the ability to launch guided-missiles from the depths

In February 2021, CNN referred to the Ohio, shown here, as the 'most fearsome US Navy weapon in the pacific'

The Japan-based destroyer the USS Howard was formerly under the command of Cmdr Cameron Dennis 

Geoffry Patterson, 53, was arrested on January 8 in Camden County, Georgia, and relieved of his duties on January 12.

The captain was booked shortly after midnight on charges of driving under the influence, improper lane change and driving without insurance.  He was released on a bail of just over $1,800, records show.  

The Navy's statement continued: 'Navy commanding officers are held to high 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 those standards.' 

Patterson began his military career as a listed sailor in the Navy, after graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

He rose through the ranks on both the USS Georgia and USS Maryland, and also obtained a masters degree in national security and strategic studies from the US Naval War College in Rhode Island. 

The naval officer took control of the USS Georgia's Blue Crew in May 2022. 

US Navy submarine crews rotate command between Blue and Gold Crews, and the military said no operations were hampered by Patterson's exit - with the submarine under the command of Gold Crew Captain Christopher Osborn. 

Rear Admiral Thomas 'TR' Buchanan has replaced him in charge of the Georgia's Blue Crew, Navy Capt. 

His arrest occurred close to the Kings Bay naval submarine base, which houses all of the East Coast's Ohio-class submarines, reports NavyTimes. 

The USS Georgia is one of just four of its kind used in the US military, with Ohio-class submarines offering 'unprecedented strike and special operation mission capabilities from a steal, clandestine platform', describes the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.