New Navy Region Southeast commander arrives from Oceana, the other heads to Yokosuka
Navy Region Southeast paid tribute to its departing commander Thursday and ushered in its next leader based in Jacksonville and overseeing 18 installations throughout the Southeastern United States and the Caribbean.
Rear Adm. John Hewitt, reporting from his former position as chief of staff at Navy Installations Command, relieved Rear Adm. Ian Johnson during the ceremony at Naval Air Station Jacksonville. Johnson had taken over for Rear Adm. Wes R. McCall last May.
"I was the CO of NAS Oceana and I was incredibly proud of my base," Hewitt said, accepting his new role. "Coming to your base, I'm jealous. You have the crown jewel of the United States Navy. It shows in the professionalism and the pride, you must be very very proud because this is just a phenomenal base."
Johnson next reports as commander, Navy Region Japan in Yokosuka.
Under his leadership, warships deployed from Naval Station Mayport to the Red Sea as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian, and ballistic missile submarines patrolled the seas from Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay. From Texas to Mississippi and across the Emerald Coast, his work expanded airfield operations to bolster pilot production needed to protect the nation, the Navy said.
Johnson provided strong and steady leadership advancing the Navy’s most important priorities, including infrastructure investment, barracks upgrades, sailor quality-of-service, utilities resilience, recruitment, environmental stewardship and climate change, according to the Navy.
He received some departing gifts Thursday as well as the Legion of Merit for his outstanding service and achievements.
“Navy Region Southeast is home to some of the most important work in the United States Navy,” Johnson said. “It gives me a great deal of pride and satisfaction to have led Region Southeast in support of the fleet, our warfighters and their families. I will miss working with all of the incredible leaders here, sailors and civilians alike — all who embody character, competence and dedication to our mission — aligning what we do ashore with the warfighting needs of our fleet.”
At sea Hewitt has served with the VAW-117 Wallbangers, commander, Cruiser Destroyer Group 2, the VAW-112 Golden Hawks, and was the executive and commanding officer of the VAW-126 Seahawks where he saw the squadron awarded the 2013 Commander, Naval Air Forces Atlantic Battle Efficiency Award. He also commanded the VAW-120 Greyhawks Fleet Replacement Squadron.
He has accumulated 2,500 flight hours, 450 arrested landings and 62 combat missions in the E-2 Hawkeye and is a graduate of the E-2 Weapons School, according to the Navy. Hewitt has deployed worldwide aboard numerous aircraft carriers and supported Operations Southern Watch, Desert Fox, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
On shore Hewitt has served with VAW-120 as a Fleet Replacement Squadron instructor, with U.S. Joint Forces Command’s Joint Deployment Training Center, with the Joint Staff J-7’s Deployable Training Division, as the executive officer and commanding officer of Naval Air Station Oceana, as the chief of staff for commander, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, and as the executive assistant and chief of staff to commander, Navy Installations Command.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: John Hewitt replaces Ian Johnson as Navy Region Southeast commander
