Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Hector Carrera | Rear Adm. Wayne Baze, commander, Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 3, left, shakes...... read more read more
Subscribe
Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 5 held a change of command ceremony onboard Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, Calif., Dec. 9.
Capt. Benjamin Allbritton relieved Capt. Tony Rodriguez as commander of PHIBRON 5 during the ceremony. Rear Adm. Wayne Baze, commander, Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 3, presided over the ceremony and presented Rodriguez with a Legion of Merit for his accomplishments while serving as commodore.
During his tenure, Rodriguez oversaw five dry-dock availabilities and engaged with key allies and partners during Pacific Partnership 2021. PHIBRON 5 also participated in exercises such as Freedom Banner, Large Scale Exercise 2021, and Dawn Blitz/Steel Knight 2021.
“T-Rod, you have had success across the board,” said Baze. “You and your team have shown incredible strength, incredible performance, and incredible resilience in not the easiest of times; I have huge respect for that. I can’t think of anybody better to mentor young people entering our service.”
Rodriguez thanked his team for their continued support and reflected on his time as commodore.
“PHIBRON 5, I am honored to be associated with you, I am honored to have served with the best, and I will always say with pride and satisfaction that I was a part of PHIBRON 5,” he said.
Allbritton congratulated Rodriguez and the crew on the many milestones they were able to achieve and expressed his commitment to continue the tradition of excellence at PHIBRON 5.
“This is a culmination of 30 years,” Allbritton said. “I can't think of any place I'd rather be than leading this amphibious squadron, this amphibious readiness group, and working with the world's greatest Marine Corps.”
Allbritton is a native of Benton, Ark., and graduated from Northwest University in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a commission from the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program. He served as the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Chief of Staff and U.S. 5th Fleet Maritime Operations Center (MOC) Director from 2018 to 2020 and comes to PHIBRON 5 following a tour as Executive Assistant to the Director of Integrated Warfare (N9I) on the OPNAV Staff in Arlington, Va.
Rodriguez will be reporting to Georgia Tech University to serve as the commanding officer of the Navy ROTC program.
PHIBRON 5 was established in September 1954 and has been based in San Diego since its inception. The command’s mission is to prepare for and direct expeditionary warfare missions in support of national objectives by employing the combat power of amphibious ships and the Marine Corps in the maritime, littoral, and inland environments. Most recently, PHIBRON 5 and various Marine Expeditionary Units have completed multiple deployments to the U.S. 7th fleet area of operations in support of strengthening partnerships with global allies.
| Date Taken: | 12.09.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 12.10.2021 02:36 |
| Story ID: | 410867 |
| Location: | CORONADO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 427 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Amphibious Squadron 5 holds Change of Command, by ENS Melvin Fatimehin, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
