GROTON, Conn. (June 18, 2020) Capt. Jack Houdeshell relieved Capt. Aaron Thieme as commanding officer of Submarine Learning Center (SLC) during a change of command ceremony, following COVID-19 guidelines in the commanding officer conference room, onboard Naval Submarine Base New London on June 17.
Commander, Naval Education and Training Command Rear Adm. Kyle Cozad served as the presiding officer from his command in Pensacola, Florida via teleconference.
Thieme, a native of Denver, Colorado, took command of SLC in June 2018. During his tenure, his team facilitated the first-ever job duty task analysis for submarine officers to properly construct a complete continuum of officer training, focusing on preparing submarine officers for command in combat.
Thieme led four major commanders, six training sites and four detachments across the globe, maintaining unity of effort in keeping aligned with force commander priorities. He also delivered 56,800 trained Sailors to the fleet for their challenging deployed combat mission around the world.
Thieme received the Legion of Merit (Gold Star in lieu of Third award), recognizing him for his exceptional meritorious service to the United States government.
For his part, in his final remarks to SLC and staff, Thieme spoke about the importance of training Sailors and crews for combat, to achieve warfighting readiness to fight at a moment’s notice.
“I want to thank each of you for doing your part to train our Submarine Force and prepare our Sailors and crews for combat at sea. If the last few months have taught us anything, they have taught us that our lives can change very quickly and that success in our response will be driven in large part by how well we prepare and practice. That lesson should burn brightly in people involved with training, as we have pivoted to training for combat in the past few years. We must continue those efforts and do all we can to assist our Sailors and crews in achieving the necessary readiness to fight at a moment’s notice.”
Thieme’s superior performance of duties highlights a culmination of 28 years of honorable service. He will be retiring from active duty on October 1, 2020.
Houdeshell, a native of Iowa, becomes the eighth commanding officer of SLC. In assuming command, Houdeshell noted, “Training is one of the top three things we do in the Navy to prepare our Submarine Force, along with qualification and maintenance programs. Training is the most important thing to keep up with the new generation and new technology to make sure our Sailors are ready to go out and fight the fight and win the battles when needed.”
Houdeshell received an NROTC scholarship after completing the Broadened Opportunity for Officer Selection and Training (BOOST) program. He graduated from the University of Idaho with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics in 1993 and earned a Master of Science in Engineering Acoustics from Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.
At sea, Houdeshell has served with five fast-attack submarines: as junior officer aboard USS Houston (SSN 713); as navigation-operations officer aboard USS Toledo (SSN 769); as executive officer of USS Montpelier (SSN 765); and twice as commanding officer of USS Dallas (SSN 700).
Houdeshell’s shore tours included serving as submarine officer advanced course director at Naval Submarine School; deputy J-2 for innovation and development, U.S. Joint Forces Command; deputy commander for Submarine Squadron 4; director of training of Naval Submarine School; commanding officer of Naval Submarine School; and most recently as chief of staff of the Undersea Warfighting Development Center.
The ceremony concluded with the reading of orders, at which point Houdeshell assumed the role of commander of the SLC all duties, burdens, and privileges associated with the position.
The change of command ceremony is a time-honored tradition formally communicating the continuity of command authority to the members of the command.
SLC, within the Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) domain, prepares undersea warfighters by providing and maintaining the highest quality instructors, curriculum, and training facilities. SLC and its subordinate commands are essential to our nation’s defense and to maintaining undersea superiority.
For more information about Submarine Learning Center, visit https://www.public.navy.mil/netc/centers/slc/Default.aspx
Follow the command on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/submarinelearningcenter/
| Date Taken: | 06.17.0202 |
| Date Posted: | 06.18.2020 10:22 |
| Photo ID: | 6244829 |
| VIRIN: | 020617-O-AC924-002 |
| Resolution: | 1650x1275 |
| Size: | 167.96 KB |
| Location: | GROTON, NAVAL SUBMARINE BASE NEW LONDON, CT, US |
| Web Views: | 175 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Submarine Learning Center Holds Change of Command, by Alexander Gago, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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