Photo By Petty Officer 3rd Class Nicholas Rodriguez | 240616-N-HE057-2451 RED SEA (June 16, 2024) Rear Adm. Kavon Hakimzadeh, on-coming...... read more read more
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Carrier Strike Group 2 Changes Command in the Red Sea
From Carrier Strike Group 2 Public Affairs
RED SEA – Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 2 conducted a change of command ceremony aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (IKE) while underway in the Red Sea, June 16.
Rear Adm. Kavon Hakimzadeh relieved Rear Adm. Marc Miguez as the commander of the strike group in the midst of a historic deployment to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. Vice Adm. George Wikoff, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, presided over the ceremony.
Wikoff noted the historic implications of the strike group’s time in the Central region.
“This is the Navy’s finest moments since World War II…It is not a hyperbole to say that this deployment would not have been the same without [Rear Adm. Miguez],” Wikoff said at the ceremony. “Thank you for leading from the front. Thank you for building trust and strengthening partnerships. And thank you for your passion and relentless and devotion that is certainly an inspiration.”
A native of New Iberia, Louisiana, Miguez assumed command of CSG-2 in June 2022. During his time as CCSG-2, he led a strike group of nearly 7,000 Sailors through the basic phases of training into a deployment in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. While in the U.S. 5th Fleet AOO, the IKE Carrier Strike Group conducted operations in the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandeb Strait, Gulf of Aden and Arabian Gulf to include Operation Prosperity Guardian and self-defense strikes into Iranian-backed Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
“Words cannot express how honored I am to have served among these battle force warriors,” said Miguez, who first enlisted as a Marine in 1985 before earning his commission in 1994 through Aviation Officers Candidate School. “The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group has done amazing things, more than any carrier strike group dating back decades. Every man and woman out here exemplify what the Chief of Naval Operations means when she talks about ‘America's Warfighting Navy:’ they are delivering decisive combat power to preserve freedom of the seas.”
Miguez reports next as the Navy Chief of Legislative Affairs in Washington, D.C.
Hakimzadeh comes to CSG-2 following a tour as the director, Joint and Fleet Operations at U.S. Fleet Forces Command. He emigrated from Iran as a child and was raised in Petal, Mississippi. Initially enlisting in the U.S. Navy in 1987, he earned his commission through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) Program at Carnegie Mellon University in 1992.
In his first address to the leaders and staff, Hakimzadeh recognized the successes of the strike group and emphasized the importance of the mission.
“It is my privilege to assume command of CSG-2,” said Hakimzadeh. “I am thrilled to be joining this warfighting team that has accomplished so much over the last eight months.”
CSG-2 is comprised of its flagship IKE, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3 with its nine squadrons, the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58), and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 22 with the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Gravely (DDG 107) and USS Mason (DDG 87).
Squadrons of CVW-3 include the “Gunslingers” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 105, the “Fighting Swordsmen” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 32, the “Rampagers” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 83, the “Wildcats” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 131, the “Screwtops” of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 123, the “Zappers” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 130, the “Dusty Dogs” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 7, the “Swamp Foxes” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 74 and the “Rawhides” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40.
IKECSG units departed their homeports of Norfolk, Virginia, and Mayport, Florida, on Oct. 13 & 14, and is operating in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to support maritime stability and security in the Middle East region.
| Date Taken: | 06.16.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 06.17.2024 08:31 |
| Story ID: | 474112 |
| Location: | RED SEA |
| Web Views: | 3,464 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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