Photo By Izumi Morine | YOKOSUKA, Japan (July 2) — Capt. John Beattie (right) renders a salute after...... read more read more
YOKOSUKA, Japan — Capt. John Beattie relieved Capt. Matthew Tolhurst as commanding officer of Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Far East during a change of command ceremony at Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, July 2.
Rear Adm. Omarr Tobias, commander of NAVFAC Pacific, presided over the ceremony.
Tobias praised Tolhurst's leadership in guiding the command through major milestones, emphasizing how his tenure strengthened the strategic posture of the Indo-Pacific region.
“The success of this command is ultimately due to its people — a diverse, multinational force that Matt led as one unified team,” said Tobias, highlighting Tolhurst’s efforts to champion the command’s host-nation workforce.
As commanding officer, Tolhurst commanded a team that delivered infrastructure for the Navy’s next-generation warfighting platforms by leveraging in-house engineers, Naval Construction Forces, and industry partners. Under his leadership, NAVFAC Far East guaranteed U.S. 7th Fleet mission readiness by resolving critical utility failures that threatened an aircraft carrier and 14 other warships in Yokosuka, and secured the $4 billion U.S.-Japan Ordnance Consolidation agreement — the first update in 15 years that revised the strategy for host-nation funded construction.
“It has been an absolute honor leading NAVFAC Far East, a multinational workforce of more than 1,800 personnel, all working hard toward improving shore infrastructure and strengthening partnerships and alliances in this key strategic location," said Tolhurst.
Tolhurst formally passed command to Beattie during the ceremony, marking the transition of leadership for NAVFAC Far East.
“It’s a great honor to rejoin NAVFAC Far East and to support our forward-deployed naval forces," said Beattie. "I look forward to working with our team of professionals to deliver the facilities and expertise our fleet needs in this critical region.”
Beattie most recently served as the deputy fleet civil engineer for U.S. Pacific Fleet. His naval career includes multiple operational tours with the Seabees and shore assignments in Iwakuni, Atsugi, and Diego Garcia, alongside a prior tour as the operations officer for NAVFAC Far East. Commissioned in 2001 via Officer Candidate School, Beattie holds a bachelor’s degree from Bradley University, master’s degrees from the University of Washington and National Defense University’s Eisenhower School, and maintains a professional engineer license in Illinois.
| Date Taken: | 07.01.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 07.02.2026 03:02 |
| Story ID: | 569231 |
| Location: | YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, JP |
| Web Views: | 29 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, New leadership takes NAVFAC Far East helm, welcomes Capt. Beattie, by Corwin Colbert, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
