MONTEREY, Calif. – Capt. Ryan Easterday officially relieved Capt. Robert Smith as the commanding officer of Naval Support Activity Monterey (NSAM) during a 1 p.m. ceremony in the base chapel today.
Capt. Easterday is a native of Davis, California, who graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in history. Easterday, whose naval career has spanned numerous assignments at sea and ashore and sixteen cumulative years overseas, comes to NSAM from North American Aerospace Defense Command’s Joint Operations Center, where he served as a Command Center Director. His previous command assignments include command of the Arleigh Burke-class Aegis Guided Missile Destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56), and command of the Patrol Coastal ship USS Sirocco (PC-6). Easterday is a graduate of the Advanced Command and Staff Course at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom’s Joint Services Command and Staff College. He holds a master’s degree in Defence Studies from King’s College, London, and was the U.S. Navy Hudson Fellow at the University of Oxford during the 2022-2023 academic year.
“I am honored and humbled to be assuming command of Naval Support Activity Monterey and I am grateful for the opportunity to carry on its role as stakeholder and force for good in the Monterey Peninsula’s community,” said Capt. Easterday. “I am eager to work with all of our teammates and partners to enable the important missions of our tenant commands such as the Naval Postgraduate School and to continue our long tradition of participation in the broader community here.”
Capt. Smith is returning to his native Virginia, where he will officially be retired during a ceremony at Naval Air Station Oceana nearly 39 years after he first joined the Navy as an enlisted sailor in 1987. His long Navy career has included early enlisted service as a boatswain’s mate, ocean systems technician analyst, and Navy counselor. He was commissioned as an officer in 1999 after earning a bachelor’s degree from Old Dominion University. He also holds a master’s degree in business administration from Troy University. His service since being commissioned has included numerous operational deployments and several at-sea and shore command and staff positions culminating in his assignment as NSAM’s commanding officer in early 2024.
“It’s been a truly rich and rewarding journey,” said Capt. Smith. “I’m deeply thankful for the opportunity to lead the ‘Few but Mighty’ team of committed military and civilian personnel who sustain this Naval Support Activity every hour of every day. I have full confidence that the command is in excellent hands with Capt. Easterday, whose experience and capability will serve it well.”
Naval Support Activity Monterey was established in 2010 to provide base operations and support for Navy commands on the California Central Coast. It is home to over 15 tenant commands, including the Naval Postgraduate School, Navy Research Lab and the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center. The base supports over 160 buildings located on more than 626 acres.