Photo By Staff Sgt. Kekoa Santiago | Captain Michael Aiena, left, and Captain Joseph Burgon, right, both of Naval Surface...... read more read more
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CORONA, Calif. – Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Corona Division held a change of command ceremony Oct. 3, where Commanding Officer Capt. Michael Aiena was relieved by Prospective Commanding Officer Capt. Joseph Burgon.
The ceremony, attended by military personnel, employees, community leaders and family members, celebrated Aiena’s successful command tour and welcomed Burgon as the new commanding officer.
Rear Adm. Todd Evans, commander, Naval Surface Warfare Center/Naval Undersea Warfare Center, presided over the ceremony and presented Aiena with a Legion of Merit award for his lasting contributions to the Navy.
The award citation notes Aiena’s bold leadership, keen attention to detail and positive organizational change and improvement at every level of NSWC Corona’s complex and challenging mission, which built upon the unsurpassed technical expertise and dedication of the diverse Warfare Center workforce.
Throughout Aiena’s tenure from January 2022 to October 2024, NSWC Corona effectively advanced the capabilities of the warfighter in the critical arenas of combat and weapons systems performance assessment, range systems engineering and operations, assessment of fleet readiness and operational availability, and measurement and calibration of equipment and systems. The command supported more than 700 fleet test events and exercises and more 50,000 Navy tactical training range events; calibrated and inspected more than 54,000 gun and special interface gages and components; and provided cutting-edge data analysis tools for informing program offices and fleet decision-making.
Aiena is slated to report as commanding officer of the Engineering Duty Officer (EDO) School at Port Hueneme, Calif. for his next assignment.
In his remarks, Aiena expressed gratitude for the dedication and teamwork of the command’s Sailors and civilian scientists, engineers, technicians and support staff.
“Our mission is about data and information – and how we use it to provide America’s Warfighter with never-been-seen-before transparency and measurement capability,” Aiena said. “Your incredible contributions have directly and positively impacted the mission of the United States Navy. I know you will do your part to ensure that we, as a Navy, are always ready for tasking, regardless of time or place.”
Capt. Burgon most recently served as Assistant Program Manager for the Maritime Tactical Command and Control software program within the Program Executive Office for Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (PEO C4I), delivering the Navy’s first tactical software application over the air via a Development, Security and Operations pipeline. He also previously served as the Littoral Combat Ship and Mission Module Integration Platform Manager in the Ship Integration Program Office for PEO C4I.
At sea, Burgon served as commanding officer of USS Charleston (LCS 18) Gold from February 2020 to November 2021, where he led his crew through the commissioning process and the ship’s first six months of its maiden deployment. He also served as commanding officer of USS Cowpens (CG 63) from October 2017 to March 2018, where he was responsible for overseeing the execution of a $48 Million Selected Restricted Availability and the implementation of the first phase of “re-crewing” the ship as part of Phased Modernization.
“Having spent over 10 years of my career at sea, assigned to various surface ships, I have seen firsthand the competitive advantage our fleet gains through the dedication, professionalism, and technical competence of our NAVSEA Warfare Centers,” Burgon said. “I have continuously been impressed by NSWC Corona’s unwavering dedication to ensuring our ships are fit to fight, that the systems that our Sailors rely upon to accomplish the mission are both effective and reliable, and that our world-class tactical training provides the realism and complexity needed to ensure we prevail in any conflict.”
The change of command ceremony is a time-honored tradition in the Navy, representing the continuity of leadership and the ongoing commitment to service.
“Any organization is only as good as its leaders,” U.S. Representative Ken Calvert of California's 41st congressional district said. “We have been fortunate to have a series of commanding officers here that have carried on a tradition of excellence and dedication to the important mission.”
The mission of NSWC Corona is to provide transparency to warfighting readiness through data analytics and assessment, engineering the fleet's Live, Virtual and Constructive training environment, and assuring the accuracy of measurements.
“When our Navy and our nation need solutions to the most complicated and complex problems, they call NSWC Corona,” Burgon said. “I look forward to facing these challenges together, as a team, to deliver the data and capabilities our nation is counting on us to provide.”
In his closing remarks, Aiena expressed his appreciation for having been selected to serve as commanding officer for the warfare center.
“Together, we have made a real difference in the world,” said Aiena. “I will always look back on my time here with pure gratitude, and in awe that both God and country chose me to be a part of this team.”
NSWC Corona Division has provided analysis and assessment for the Navy since 1964. With experience in gauging the Navy’s warfighting capability, NSWC Corona is a leader in NAVSEA data analytics. Corona utilizes networked data environments, data and visualization, and measurement technology to bridge the Navy’s data silos, enabling informed decision-making for the warfighter. Anchor to the Inland Empire Tech Bridge, NSWC Corona is located in Norco, California, with detachments in Fallbrook and Seal Beach and personnel in 14 additional locations.
| Date Taken: | 10.03.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.23.2024 17:39 |
| Story ID: | 482485 |
| Location: | NORCO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | COTTONWOOD, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, US |
| Hometown: | STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 124 |
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