78 GREAT LAKES, Ill. (May 27, 2021) – Rear Adm. Jennifer S. Couture relieved Rear Adm. Milton J. Sands III as commander of Naval Service Training Command (NSTC), Thursday, May 27, in a change of command ceremony held at the Navy’s only boot camp, Recruit Training Command (RTC) on Naval Station Great Lakes.
Vice Adm. John B. Nowell Jr., Chief of Naval Personnel (CNP), served as the guest speaker at the ceremony and Rear Adm. Pete A. Garvin, commander of Naval Education and Training Command (NETC), officiated the event.
CNP addressed participants, guests and many of whom were watching virtually at the change of command ceremony and showed his great appreciation for Sands’ accomplishments.
Rear Adm. Christopher Alexander, a native of Key West, Florida, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and earned a Master of Science in Operational Research from the Naval Postgraduate School.
At sea, he served as damage control assistant aboard USS Wabash (AOR 5); navigator aboard USS Reid (FFG 30); operations officer aboard USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51); operations officer for Destroyer Squadron 2; and executive officer on USS Hopper (DDG 70).
Ashore, Alexander served as the Maritime Operations Center director for U.S. 3rd Fleet; executive assistant for Commander, Naval Surface Force U.S. Pacific Fleet; legislative fellow; on the staffs of the Secretary of the Navy and Chief of Naval Operations; and on the Joint Staff.
16 MOBILE, Ala. The Navy commissioned its newest Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Mobile (LCS 26) during a ceremony in Mobile, Alabama, May 22.
Due to COVID-19 limitations, 400 guests attended the socially distanced ceremony for the littoral combat ship named in honor of the city in which it was built.
The Honorable Tommy Tuberville, U.S. Senator of Alabama, delivered the ceremony’s principal address.
“The United States has been the greatest source of good in the history of the world and we will continue to be a force for good because of the brave men and women that we have here today,” said Tuberville.
Marine Corps’ safety culture ‘has got to improve’ 2 hours ago Marines with the 1st Marine Regiment prepare to move toward a notional military objective on Camp Pendleton, California, Jan. 31, 2018. (Cpl. Danny Gonzalez/Marine Corps) A Marine Corps culture that lawmakers called one of mission over safety came under attack during a recent House Armed Services Committee readiness subcommittee hearing looking into failures that led to July 30, 2020, sinking of an amphibious assault vehicle and resulted in the deaths of nine service members. Though the families were briefed on the roughly 2,000-page investigation, nine months of silence and some of the findings left many families still asking questions. Two parents of killed service members testified.
6 Rear Adm. Christopher Alexander, a native of Key West, Fla., assumed command of Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC), headquartered in San Diego, May 10th without a change of command ceremony due to his predecessor being transferred ahead of Alexander’s arrival to fill an urgent operational role.
Prior to SMWDC, Alexander was most recently the Commanding Officer of Surface Warfare Schools Command located onboard Naval Station Newport, R.I.
Alexander is the fifth SMWDC Commander since its 2015 establishment as the Surface Warfare community’s Warfighting Development Center.
“I am truly humbled and honored to assume command of SMWDC. To be able to work with some of the best surface warfare tacticians to build and refine doctrine, tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP) for the Surface Warfare community is an immense and exciting opportunity. SMWDC has been in great hands with the Commanders who have come before me and I am excited to