Rear Admiral John Hewitt takes command of Navy Region Southeast
Rear Adm. John Hewitt relieved Rear Adm. Ian Johnson as Commander, Navy Region Southeast (CNRSE) during a ceremony aboard Naval Air Station Jacksonville today, Thursday, May 23.
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The ceremony marked the end of Johnson’s command leadership that supported and guided 18 installations throughout the Southeastern United States and the Caribbean.
“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.”
Johnson has commanded CNRSE since May 2023. Under his leadership, warships deployed from Mayport to the Red Sea as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian, and ballistic missile submarines patrolled the seas from Kings Bay for strategic deterrence. From Texas to Mississippi and across the Emerald Coast, his work expanded airfield operations to bolster the Navy’s pilot production needed to protect the nation.
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. Johnson solved complex problems and applied sound decision-making skills across the entire spectrum of shore operations. His attention to detail significantly enhanced overall mission readiness and support to the Fleet Fighter, and Family.
Johnson next reports as Commander, Navy Region Japan in Yokosuka, Japan.
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Hewitt is reporting from his former position as chief of staff to Commander, Navy Installations Command.
At sea, he 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.
Hewitt 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. Hewitt has deployed worldwide aboard numerous aircraft carriers and supported Operations Southern Watch, Desert Fox, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom.
Ashore, 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.
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