Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Brandon Vinson | 230728-N-OZ224-1076 MAYPORT, Fla. (July 28, 2023) - Cmdr. Brian Anthony (center)...... read more read more
By USS Winston S. Churchill Public Affairs
Capt. Ryan O’Loughlin relieved Cmdr. Brian S. Anthony as command officer of USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81), July 28, during a ceremony held aboard the ship.
Rear Adm. James Aiken, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet, served as the time-honored ceremony’s presiding officer, witnessing the ceremonial transfer of command leadership from Anthony to O’Loughlin.
Anthony served as the commanding officer since November 2021. He was fully responsible for ensuring the Winston S. Churchill was manned, trained, equipped and ready to fight. “In War: Resolution. In Peace: Goodwill” the Command’s motto was a guiding light throughout his tour.
Anthony highlighted the hard work and dedication of his command, emphasizing waterfront leadership and expertise in goodwill.
“To be great in the Navy, requires great sacrifice,” said Anthony. “As you move through your career, you will be met with many hard decisions. When you reach that point, it will be up to you to decide where your priorities lie. You must consider your goals, family life, and the Navy’s mission. You should be able to look back on your Naval career and know that you made the right sacrifices.”
Anthony recounts his tour onboard Churchill in terms of pushing forward the philosophical ideals of former U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis.
“Some of the defining moments during my time in command was our ability to work with the resources we had and maximize them to get things done,” said Anthony. “As Mattis said, ‘Focus on training the young Marines we had, not worry about the ones we didn’t have…I would make do with what I had, and not waste time whining about what I didn’t have.’ Working through adversity allowed Churchill to be successful, leading the crew to rally together for mission readiness.”
O’Loughlin most recently served as Division Chief, Western Europe & Balkans, Joint Staff J5 Strategy, Plans and Policy Deputy Directorate for Europe-NATO-Russia.
O’Loughlin’s previous sea duty commands include USS O’Kane (DDG 77) as the Damage Control Assistant and USS Russell (DDG 59) as the Fire Control Officer. He served as Operations Officer of USS Forrest Sherman (DDG 98) and USS Monterey (CG 61), making her maiden Ballistic Missile Defense deployment.
He was the Executive Officer of and commanded USS Forrest Sherman (DDG 98), where he was awarded the 2019 Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale Award for Inspirational Leadership. While commanding Forrest Sherman, his crew earned the Battle “E.” He has deployed to Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Fleets, including operations in the Arctic Circle.
Unique to the fleet, Churchill is the only U.S. Navy ship to have a Royal Navy officer assigned permanently to ship's company as a symbol of the partnership between the British and American navies. It is also the only U.S. Naval vessel to fly a foreign ensign - the Royal Navy's White Ensign is flown alongside the Stars and Stripes. Churchill is the fifth U.S. warship to be named in honor of an English subject.
SURFLANT mans, trains and equips assigned surface forces and shore activities, ensuring a capable force for conducting prompt and sustained operations in support of United States national interests. The SURFLANT force is composed of nearly 80 ships, 17 pre-commissioning units, and more than 30 shore commands.
For more SURFLANT news and photos, visit facebook.com/SURFLANT, www.surflant.usff.navy.mil, and Twitter - @surflant.
- CNSL -
| Date Taken: | 07.28.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 07.28.2023 16:32 |
| Story ID: | 450236 |
| Location: | MAYPORT, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 1,071 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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