Naval Surface Forces
get new commander
By
Rick Rogers
UNION-TRIBUNE
STAFF WRITER
March 5, 2005
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RONI GALGANO /
Union-Tribune photos
Vice Adm. Timothy LaFleur (left)
enjoyed a joke at his expense at yesterday's change-of-command ceremony
aboard the Belleau Wood. Seated with
him were Adm. Vern Clark (center), chief of naval operations, and Rear
Adm. Terrance Etnyre, LaFleur's
replacement.
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Promising
to continue the changes started by his predecessor, Rear Adm. Terrance Etnyre took command of Naval Surface Forces yesterday
in a ceremony aboard the amphibious assault ship Belleau Wood in San Diego.
Etnyre has served in San Diego twice before. In this new
role, he replaces Vice Adm. Timothy LaFleur, who
is credited with implementing some of the boldest programs the Navy has
seen in decades.
Those programs
include rotating crews to serve on deployed ships, reducing ship personnel
by an average of 10 percent and replacing junior officers with chief petty
officers aboard the San Diego-based destroyer Decatur.
Such measures are aimed at
making the Navy leaner and more efficient as it tries to make better use of
resources and step up its fight against global terrorism.
Perhaps the most
far-reaching change is still to come. In future years, the Navy is set to
choose a new vessel class now referred to as the LCS, or Littoral Combat
Ship. General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin are vying to produce the 500-to
600-ton ships, which could operate close to shore.
"The beauty of
these ships is instead of taking a billion-dollar cruiser and sending it to
conduct drug interdiction, you can tailor a much cheaper ship for such a
mission," said Lt. Cmdr. Pat McNally, a Navy spokesman.
Etnyre is expected to play a major
role in developing the LCS category.
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RONI GALGANO /
Union-Tribune photos
Rear Adm. Terrance Etnyre
saluted upon assuming command of Naval Surface Forces yesterday at 32nd Street Naval Station.
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In the
tradition-bound Navy, not everyone embraced LaFleur's
ideas, a fact underscored by Navy Secretary Gordon England and Adm. Vern Clark, the
chief of naval operations, who attended a ceremony
filled with admirals past and present.
Both men praised LaFleur for introducing, and sometimes forcing, change
on the surface fleet, which consists of naval ships other than aircraft
carriers and submarines.
Etnyre, the 14th Surface Force
Pacific commander and a vice-admiral designee, also touched on the
challenges of transforming the Navy. He said some people are wondering if
– and hoping he will – turn back the clock on some of LaFleur's efforts.
"There is not
going to be a course reversal," said Etnyre,
a 1970 graduate of the University of Michigan. If anything, he said,
"we are going to increase the speed" of change.
The Surface Forces
Pacific Fleet commander takes the lead in developing training, maintenance
and personnel for surface ships, while the Surface Forces Atlantic Fleet
commander is the deputy. Etnyre was LaFleur's deputy for 2½ years before replacing
him yesterday.
"We are not
going to lose the sense of urgency," said Etnyre,
whose Pacific command consists of about 35,000 military and 3,000 civilian
employees and 82 ships. The fleet operates in a 102 million-square-mile
area, from the West Coast of the United States to the eastern coast of Africa and into the Persian Gulf. In latitude, the region
extends from the North Pole to the South Pole.
England said LaFleur
is unlikely to be remembered in historical terms for his contributions. But
he added that the Navy will change for "decades to come" thanks
to the vice admiral's work.
"There won't be
a painting on the wall, but he will make a difference for a long time in
the Navy and the world," the Navy secretary said.
Rick
Rogers: (760) 476-8212; rick.rogers@uniontrib.com
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