USS South Dakota command triad fired, draws ire of congressmen

Members of Congress called out the Navy Thursday for purportedly firing the three leaders of a Navy Virginia-class attack submarine without notifying them of the development, as is customary. Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., and Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., ranking members of the House Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, sent a letter to Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle and Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao, chiding them for leaving Congress in the dark on important military matters regarding the USS South Dakota. “We write to express deep frustration over the Navy’s failure to notify the House Armed Services Committee of the relief of the Commanding Officer, Executive Officer, and Chief of the Boat of the USS South Dakota (SSN 790) on October 14, 2026,” the letter reads. The firings of Cmdr. Daniel Goodwin and purportedly that of Lt. Cmdr. Jacqueline Penichet and Senior Chief Information Systems Technician (Submarines) Jon Nogaj were never communicated to the lawmakers.

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