Undersea Surveillance Welcomes New Commanding Officer

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Alfred Coffield | The Color Guard parades the colors during the Commander, Undersea Surveillance (CUS) change of command ceremony at Naval Air Station Oceana, Dam Neck Annex, Jan. 10, 2020. Capt. Brian C. Taddiken relieved Capt. Scott C. Luers as commanding officer during the ceremony. CUS supports antisubmarine warfare commands and tactical forces by detecting, classifying and providing timely reporting of information on submarines and other contacts of interest. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Alfred A. Coffield)  

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA, UNITED STATES

01.10.2020

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Alfred Coffield 

Commander, Submarine Force Atlantic

DAM NECK, Va. – Capt. Brian Taddiken, from Tacoma, Washington, assumed command of Commander, Undersea Surveillance (CUS), from Capt. Scott Luers, from Westminster, Maryland, during a ceremony at Naval Air Station Oceana, Dam Neck Annex, Jan. 10.
Luers assumed command of CUS on Dec. 17, 2017, as its 12th commodore.
Under his leadership, Integrated Undersea Surveillance System (IUSS) saw an increase in personnel and assets. In addition, Luers led the deployment of a new constellation of some of the most advanced acoustic sensors in the world, and deployed the first Expeditionary Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System, or SURTASS-E, which made its maiden voyage in the Atlantic in 2019.
“The performance of Capt. Luers and his entire team, has been absolutely stellar,” said Rear Adm. Blake Converse, commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. “Luers did all this while he had teams across the globe working at capacity in one of the most dynamic environments in the submarine community and in submarine history.”
Luers’ next assignment will be as the officer in charge of the Norfolk Detachment of the Undersea Warfare Development Command.
“I am extremely honored and humbled to have been a part of this community, and to have been given the opportunity to serve as your commodore,” Luers said. “Although IUSS remains relatively unknown due to the secretive nature of their work, the amazing cadre of Sailors and civilians that operate our IUSS are one of the Navy’s crown jewels.”
Taddiken arrives to CUS from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, having served as the senior member of the Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet Combat Readiness Evaluation Team.
"It's great to be here in Virginia Beach. I look forward to working with an outstanding, though little known, group of warfighting professionals," said Taddiken. "We have a large, diverse team. We work alongside our multi-national partners to accomplish a multifaceted, integral mission for our fleet commanders. If the fight is tomorrow we cannot afford to fail, and we won’t.”
The Integrated Undersea Surveillance System celebrated its 65th anniversary in 2019. Naval Facility Ramey, Puerto Rico, was commissioned in 1954 and marked the debut of the Sound Surveillance System, or SOSUS, the predecessor of IUSS. The operators of IUSS have been covertly tracking threat submarines ever since.
Responsible for the operation of the Navy’s IUSS, CUS has three subordinate commands and multiple detachments supported by over 1,200 military, civilian, and contractor personnel. Based out of Dam Neck, Virginia, the command operates worldwide and partners with many allies of the United States.

• Date Taken: 01.10.2020
• Date Posted: 01.10.2020 16:22
• Story ID: 358757
• Location: VIRGINIA BEACH, VA, US