It happened on a Wednesday. October 8, 2025. That was the day the U.S. Navy decided it had seen enough.
Rear Adm. Bob Wirth, the man in charge of Submarine Group 10, pulled the trigger on a decision that's still echoing through the halls of Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay. He relieved Cmdr. Robert Moreno of his command of the USS Wyoming (SSBN-742) Blue Crew.
The reason? That classic, frustratingly vague Navy catch-all: "loss of confidence."
If you follow military news, you know those three words are basically the "it's not me, it's you" of the Pentagon. It’s a career-ender. One day you’re in charge of 150-plus sailors and 20 Trident II D5 missiles, and the next, you’re sitting at a desk in Georgia waiting for your next set of orders to nowhere.
The Fall of a "Mustang" Commander
Robert Moreno wasn’t your typical "straight from the Academy" officer. He was a Mustang.
For the uninitiated, that means he started his career as an enlisted sailor. He did the hard work in the trenches starting in 1993 before earning his commission in December 2005. People usually root for Mustangs. They’ve been on both sides of the deckplates. They know what it’s like to scrub a bilge and what it’s like to sign a launch order.
His resume was, honestly, pretty stacked.
- USS Pennsylvania
- USS Dallas
- USS North Carolina
- USS Cheyenne
He’d been everywhere. He even served as the commander of the Joint Force Maritime Component in Norfolk. So, when he took over the USS Wyoming Blue Crew in May 2024, it looked like a natural fit. He was replacing Cmdr. Steven Dykstra, and the transition seemed smooth.
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Then everything went sideways.
Why the USS Wyoming Firing Matters So Much
Look, the Navy fires people all the time. In 2023 alone, they sacked 16 commanding officers. But firing the skipper of a ballistic missile submarine (an SSBN, or "Boomer") is a different beast entirely.
These guys are part of the nuclear triad. They are the silent, underwater insurance policy against global catastrophe. Because of that, the Navy doesn’t just look for "good" leaders; they look for perfection. Under the Nuclear Weapons Personnel Reliability Program (PRP), these officers are under a microscope that would make most people crack.
When Moreno was relieved, the official statement was the usual boilerplate: "Navy commanding officers are held to high standards... they are expected to uphold the highest standards of responsibility."
But what does that actually mean?
Usually, a "loss of confidence" relief falls into one of three buckets:
- Personal misconduct: Something happened off the clock.
- Professional failure: A major inspection went south or a safety protocol was ignored.
- Command climate: The crew is miserable, and morale has tanked to a dangerous level.
In Moreno's case, the Navy hasn't spilled the beans. However, the timing is interesting. The USS Wyoming was in a maintenance period at the time of the firing. Capt. David Burke, the deputy for training at Submarine Squadron 20, had to step in as the temporary "substitute teacher."
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The "Hegseth Factor" and the Political Noise
You can't talk about Moreno without mentioning the political climate of 2025. This firing happened during a massive shake-up in military leadership under Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
Some folks on Reddit and in the darker corners of military forums started whispering. Was this a "woke" purge? Was it a "warrior ethos" thing? Honestly, probably not. Submarine commanders usually get fired for things much more boring—and much more dangerous—than politics. We're talking about things like "mishandling classified data" or "failing a tactical readiness evaluation."
Historically, the sub community is pretty insulated from the political flavor of the week. If you can’t run a boat, you’re out. Period.
What the Sailors Are Saying
If you dig through the scuttlebutt (military speak for gossip), the picture of Moreno’s time on the USS Wyoming is... complicated.
Some sailors claimed the ship was ranked number one on the waterfront under his command. They pointed to "Sunday Fundays" and leadership development training. Others? Not so much. There were rumors of a rough command climate and internal friction.
One thing is for sure: when a CO is removed, it leaves a scar on the crew. The Blue Crew now has to transition to new leadership while the boat is in the yard. It’s messy.
The Future for Robert Moreno and the Wyoming
So, what’s next?
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Moreno has been "temporarily reassigned" to Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay. In Navy-speak, that’s usually a holding pattern while the final paperwork for a forced retirement or a lateral move is processed. It is highly unlikely he will ever command a vessel again.
The USS Wyoming will be fine. These boats are designed to be bigger than any one person. The "Dual-Crew" model (Blue and Gold) means the Gold Crew is still out there doing the work, and the Blue Crew will get a new permanent skipper soon enough.
What You Can Take Away From This
If you're looking for a lesson in the Robert Moreno saga, it’s about the brutality of accountability.
In the civilian world, if you have a bad quarter, you might get a performance plan. In the nuclear Navy, if your boss loses a "feeling" of confidence in you, you're done.
If you want to stay updated on this or similar military leadership shifts, here is what you should do:
- Watch the USNI News feed: They usually get the unredacted investigation reports (FOIA) about six months to a year after the firing.
- Monitor the Submarine Group 10 press releases: This is where the permanent replacement for the Blue Crew will be announced.
- Check the Navy Times "Year in Review" firings list: It often provides the specific category (misconduct vs. performance) that the Navy eventually assigns to these cases.
The sea is an unforgiving place, but the bureaucracy on land can be even colder. Robert Moreno found that out the hard way.