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Immediate Release

Flag Officer Assignments

The secretary of the Navy and chief of naval operations announced today the following assignments:

Rear Adm. Michael D. Bernacchi Jr. will be assigned as deputy commander, Tenth Fleet, Fort George G.Meade, Maryland. Bernacchi is currently serving as director, Plans and Policy, J-5, U.S. Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.

Rear Adm. Keith B. Davids will be assigned as commander, Naval Special Warfare Command, San Diego, California. Davids is currently serving as commander, Special Operations Command South, U.S. Southern Command, Homestead, Florida.

Rear Adm. Leonard C. Dollaga will be assigned as chief of legislative affairs, Washington, D.C. Dollaga is currently serving as commander, Submarine Group Seven; commander, Task Force Seven Four; and commander, Task Force Five Four, Yokosuka, Japan.

Rear Adm. Christopher S. Gray will be assigned as commander, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia. Gray is currently serving as commander, Navy Region Europe, Africa, Central; and commander, Maritime Air Forces Naples, Naples, Italy.

Rear Adm. Nancy S. Lacore will be assigned as commandant, Naval District Washington, Washington, D.C. Lacore is currently serving as chief of staff, U.S. Naval Forces Europe/U.S. Naval Forces Africa/Sixth Fleet, Naples, Italy.

Rear Adm. Fred I. Pyle will be assigned as director, Surface Warfare Division, N96, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C. Pyle is currently serving as director, Maritime Operations, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Norfolk, Virginia.

Rear Adm. Michael W. Studeman will be assigned as director, National Maritime Intelligence Integration Office; and commander, Office of Naval Intelligence, Washington, D.C. Studeman is currently serving as director, J-2, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Anthony C. Carullo, selected for promotion to rear admiral, will be assigned as director, Plans and Policy, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. Carullo is currently serving as director, Plans and Operations, U.S. Naval Forces Europe Sixth Fleet; deputy commander, Sixth Fleet; and commander, Submarine Group Eight, Naples, Italy.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Robert M. Gaucher, selected for promotion to rear admiral, will be assigned as director, Strategic Integration, N2/N6T, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C. Gaucher is currently serving as commander, Submarine Group Nine, Silverdale, Washington.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Nicholas M. Homan, selected for promotion to rear admiral, will be assigned as director of intelligence, J-2, U.S. Central Command, Tampa, Florida. Homan is currently serving as director of intelligence, J-2, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Scott F. Robertson, selected for promotion to rear admiral, will be assigned as director of plans, Policy and Strategy, J-5, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Robertson is currently serving as commander, Carrier Strike Group Two, Norfolk, Virginia.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Curt A. Renshaw, selected for promotion to rear admiral, will be assigned as director of operations, J-3, U.S. Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. Renshaw is currently serving as commander, Carrier Strike Group Eight, Norfolk, Virginia.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Christopher M. Engdahl, selected for promotion to rear admiral, will be assigned as commander, Naval Safety Command, Norfolk, Virginia. Engdahl is currently serving as commander, Expeditionary Strike Group Seven; commander, Task Force 76; and commander, Amphibious Force, Seventh Fleet, Yokosuka, Japan.

Rear Adm. (lower half) John S. Lemmon, selected for promotion to rear admiral, will be assigned as program executive officer for Tactical Aircraft Programs, Patuxent River, Maryland. Lemmon is currently serving as commander, Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division; and assistant commander for research and engineering, Naval Air Systems command (AIR-4.0), Patuxent River, Maryland.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Michael J. Vernazza, selected for promotion to rear admiral, will be assigned as commander, Fleet Information Warfare Command Pacific/Information Warfare Task Force, Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Vernazza is currently serving as commander, Naval Information Warfighting Development Center, Norfolk, Virginia.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Kristin Acquavella will be assigned as director, Logistics Fleet Supply and Ordnance, N4, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Acquavella is currently serving as director, Audits, Naval Supply Systems Command, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Bradley J. Andros will be assigned as commander, Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, Virginia Beach, Virginia. Andros is currently serving as director J10 – Directorate of Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction, U.S. Special Operations Command, Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Stephen D. Barnett will be assigned as commander, Navy Region Hawaii; and commander, Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Barnett is currently serving as commander, Navy Region Southwest, San Diego, California.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Mark D. Behning will be assigned as commander, Submarine Group Nine, Silverdale, Washington. Behning is currently serving as deputy director, Strategic Targeting and Nuclear Mission Planning, J5N, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Richard T. Brophy Jr. will be assigned as chief of naval air training, Corpus Christi, Texas.  Brophy is currently serving as commander, Carrier Strike Group Four, Norfolk, Virginia.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Scott M. Brown is assigned as deputy commander, Logistics, Maintenance, and Industrial Operations (NAVSEA 04), Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C. Brown previously served as director, Fleet Maintenance, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Susan Bryerjoyner will be assigned as deputy director, Command, Control, Communications, and Computers/Cyber Systems, J-6, Joint Staff, Washington, D.C. Bryerjoyner is currently serving as Navy Cyber Security Division director, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Thomas R. Buchanan will be assigned as commander, Submarine Group Ten, Kings Bay, Georgia.  Buchanan is currently serving as deputy director for Plans and Policy, U.S. Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Joseph F. Cahill III, will be assigned as commander, Carrier Strike Group Fifteen, San Diego, California. Cahill is currently serving as deputy director for resources and acquisitions, J-8, Joint Staff, Washington, D.C.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Brad J. Collins will be assigned as commander, Navy Region Europe, Africa, Central; and commander, Maritime Air Forces Naples, Naples, Italy. Collins is currently serving as commander, Navy Region Northwest, Silverdale, Washington.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Jeffrey J. Czerewko, will be assigned as commander, Carrier Strike Group Four, Norfolk, Virginia. Czerewko is currently serving as director, Fleet Integrated Readiness and Analysis, N02R, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Norfolk, Virginia.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Dion D. English will be assigned as vice director for logistics, J-4, Joint Staff, Washington, D.C. English is currently serving as director, Logistics, Fleet Supply and Ordnance, N4, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Christopher A. Kijek will be assigned as commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Group, Norfolk, Virginia.  Kijek is currently serving as director, Operations and Plans, N3, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Kevin P. Lenox, will be assigned as commander, Carrier Strike Group Three, Bremerton, Washington. Lenox is currently serving as deputy director for Operations, J-3, U.S. Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Oliver T. Lewis will be assigned as director, Plans and Operations, U.S. Naval Forces Europe – Sixth Fleet; deputy commander, Sixth Fleet; and commander, Submarine Group Eight, Naples, Italy. Lewis is currently serving as deputy director for Political-Military Affairs (Europe, NATO, Russia), J-5, Joint Staff, Washington, D.C.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Daniel P. Martin will be assigned as director, Maritime Operations (DMOC/N04), U.S. Pacific Fleet, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Martin is currently serving as commander, Carrier Strike Group One, San Diego, California.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Mark A. Melson will be assigned as commander, Logistics Group, Western Pacific; and commander, Task Force Seven Three, Singapore.  Melson is currently serving as deputy director, Joint Force Development and Design Integration, J-7, Joint Staff, Washington, D.C.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Marc J. Miguez, will be assigned as commander, Carrier Strike Group Two, Norfolk, Virginia.  Miguez is currently serving as deputy director for Operations, National Joint Operations Intelligence Center, Operations Team Two, J3, Joint Staff, Washington, D.C.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Benjamin G. Reynolds will be assigned as director, Operations and Plans, N3, Officer of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C. Reynolds is currently serving as director of maritime headquarters, U.S. Naval Forces Europe/Africa/Sixth Fleet, Naples, Italy.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Carlos A. Sardiello will be assigned as commander, Carrier Strike Group One, San Diego, California. Sardiello is currently serving as director, Joint and Fleet Operations, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Norfolk, Virginia.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Michael S. Sciretta will be assigned as commander, Standing NATO Maritime Group Two, Naples, Italy. Sciretta is currently serving as deputy commander, Joint Interagency Task Force-South, U.S. Southern Command, Key West, Florida.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Richard E. Seif Jr. will be assigned as commander, Submarine Group Seven; commander, Task Force Seven Four; and commander, Task Force Five Four, Yokosuka, Japan. Seif is currently serving as commander, Undersea Warfighting Development Center, Groton, Connecticut.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Paul C. Spedero Jr. will be assigned as commander, Carrier Strike Group Eight, Norfolk, Virginia. Spedero is currently serving as commander, Joint Enabling Capabilities Command, U.S. Transportation Command, Norfolk, Virginia.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Stephen R. Tedford will be assigned as program executive officer for unmanned aviation and strike weapons, Patuxent River, Maryland. Tedford is currently serving as commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force, Norfolk, Virginia.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Derek A. Trinque will be assigned as commander, Expeditionary Strike Group Seven; commander, Task Force 76; and commander, Amphibious Force, Seventh Fleet, Yokosuka, Japan. Trinque is currently serving as assistant commander for Career Management, PERS-4, Navy Personnel Command, Millington, Tennessee.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Dennis Velez will be assigned as commander, Carrier Strike Group Ten, Norfolk, Virginia. Velez is currently serving as commander, Navy Recruiting Command, Millington, Tennessee.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Darryl L. Walker will be assigned as commander, Combined Joint Task Force CYBER, Tenth Fleet, Fort Meade, Maryland.  Walker is currently serving as deputy director, Operations, J-3, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Robert D. Westendorff will be assigned as director, Fleet Integrated Readiness and Analysis, N02R, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Norfolk, Virginia. Westendorff is currently serving as chief of naval air training, Corpus Christi, Texas.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Jeromy B. Williams will be assigned as commander, Special Operations Command Pacific, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii. Williams is currently serving as deputy director, Special Operations and Counter Terrorism, J-3, Joint Staff, Washington, D.C.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Thomas R. Williams II will be assigned as commander, Expeditionary Strike Group Two, Virginia Beach, Virginia. Williams is currently serving as director, Plans, Policy and Integration, N5, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.

Capt. Brian H. Bennett, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as assistant commander-operations, Joint Special Operations Command, U.S. Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Bennett is currently serving as executive officer to Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, Tampa, Florida.

Capt. Maximilian Clark, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as assistant chief of staff (J3), Joint Forces Command, Naples, Italy. Clark is currently serving as executive assistant to director, Air Warfare, N98, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.

Capt. Kavon Hakimzadeh, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as director, Joint/Fleet Operations, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Norfolk, Virginia. Hakimzadeh is currently serving as programs and policy director, Aircraft Branch Head, N0980C, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.

Capt. Kevin M. Kennedy, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as assistant commander for career management, PERS-4, Navy Personnel Command, Millington, Tennessee. Kennedy is currently serving as director, Surface Warfare Officer Distribution, (PERS-41), Navy Personnel Command, Millington, Tennessee.

Capt. Brett W. Mietus, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as director, 21st Century Sailor Office, N17, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Arlington, Virginia. Mietus is currently serving as director of the Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Integration Group, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.

Capt. Martin J. Muckian, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as commander, Undersea Warfighting Development Command, Groton, Connecticut. Muckian is currently serving as chief of staff to commander, U.S. Submarine Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet; and chief of staff, U.S. Strategic Command Special Activities Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Capt. Gregory D. Newkirk, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as deputy director for operations, National Joint Operations Intelligence Team Two, J3, Joint Staff, Washington, D.C. Newkirk is currently serving as executive assistant, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii.

Capt. Matthew C. Paradise, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as deputy director, Operations, J-3, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland. Paradise is currently serving as chief of staff, Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet, San Diego, California.

Capt. Chase D. Patrick, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as director of Maritime Headquarters, U.S. Naval Forces Europe/Africa/Sixth Fleet, Naples, Italy. Patrick is currently serving as director, Navy Senate Liaison Office, Office of Legislative Affairs, Washington, D.C.

Capt. Bradley N. Rosen, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as commander, Navy Region Southwest, San Diego, California. Rosen is currently serving as chief of staff, Navy Installations Command, Washington, D.C.

Capt. Alexis T. Walker, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as commander, Navy Recruiting Command, Millington, Tennessee. Walker is currently serving as commanding officer, Surface Warfare Officer School Command, Newport, Rhode Island.

Capt. David P. Walt, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as deputy director for resources and acquisitions, J-8, Joint Staff, Washington, D.C. Walt is currently serving as director, Operations Division, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Financial Management and Comptroller; and director, Operations Division, Fiscal Management Division, N821, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.

Capt. Robert E. Wirth, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as deputy director, Strategic Targeting and Nuclear Mission Planning, J5N, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. Wirth is currently serving as director, Submarine/Nuclear Power Distribution (PERS-42), Navy Personnel Command, Millington, Tennessee.

Capt. Michael S. Wosje, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as chief of staff, Naval Striking and Support Forces, NATO, Lisbon, Portugal. Wosje is currently serving as executive assistant to the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfighting Requirements and Capabilities, N9, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.