NAPLES, Italy – Capt. Benjamin Foster relieved Capt. John Randazzo as commander, U.S. Naval Support Activity (NSA), Naples, Italy, during a change of command ceremony in front of the installation's headquarters, July 23. The transition of leadership comes at a historic milestone for the flagship base as it marks 75 years of dedicated service and enduring partnership in the Campania region.
Attendees included Executive Director of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa Juliet Beyler; Vice Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa Rear Adm. Scott Ruston; U.S. Consul General in Naples Terrence Flynn and his wife, Olga Flynn; Vice Commander of U.S. 6th Fleet and Director of the Maritime Partnership Program in U.S. 6th Fleet Rear Adm. Jason Naidyhorski; Director of Maritime Headquarters in U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa Rear Adm. David Ludwa; Commander of the Undersea Warfighting Development Center Rear Adm. John Stafford; host nation officials; U.S. and Italian military leaders, including the Italian Army’s 8th Bersaglieri Regiment Band; and Naval Support Activity Naples personnel and their families.
Randazzo took command in July 2023, strengthening ties between the base and its Italian hosts. He held numerous key leader engagements with mayors and officials from surrounding municipalities, including the city of Naples, Gricignano, Pozzuoli, and Pompeii to foster collaboration on mutual interests such as community support, regional security, and urban development. These enduring partnerships remain vital to supporting the 55 tenant commands and 8,500 personnel stationed across the NSA Naples footprint.
“Looking back on my three years leading NSA Naples, I am grateful to this community and our Italian hosts for truly making us feel at home," said Randazzo. "I am incredibly proud of how we sustained operational readiness while working toward ensuring NSA Naples as the Flagship Installation in Europe. From investing $512,000 to upgrade our fitness facilities, to modernizing our barracks with new furniture and free Wi-Fi, to transitioning our Sailors in Gaeta off the ship and into dedicated ashore housing, we’ve done a lot to help Sailors thrive here. These quality-of-life improvements are foundational to personnel who are disciplined, ready, and fully supported to execute the mission. While I will miss this exceptional command, I know NSA Naples is in excellent hands with Capt. Foster.”
Capt. Foster, a naval aviator hailing from Delray Beach, Florida, arrived in Naples after serving as the security cooperation division chief for U.S. Space Command J5 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Upon taking command, Foster said he looked forward to continuing NSA Naples' record of excellence and building upon the close ties with the community.
“My family and I are very excited to have the opportunity to experience life in Italy and to build on what Capt. Randazzo has done here in Naples,” said Foster. “Together, with our Italian partners, NSA Naples will continue to provide the best possible support to enhance our cooperative mission, sustain fleet operations, and support the families that are at the heart of our community as the flagship base in Europe.”
NSA Naples is an operational ashore base home to 55 tenant commands and 8,500 personnel. Providing a forward-deployed platform to the fleet that enables the warfighter and supports the family, NSA Naples supports U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, U.S. Sixth Fleet, NATO, and combatant commander strategic priorities to ensure stability across the European, African, and Central Command areas of responsibility. Today, as it approaches its 75th anniversary, NSA Naples celebrates the Sailors, their families, and civilian employees—both U.S. and Italian—for 75 years of dedicated service and enduring partnership. This year, the Navy is commemorating its contributions to the nation’s defense as the United States celebrates 250 years of independence. According to Navy officials, for more than 250 years, the Navy has sailed the globe defending freedom and protecting prosperity.
For more information about NSA Naples, visit https://cnreurafcent.cnic.navy.mil/Installations/NSA-Naples/ or https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/USNSA-N . Connect on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NSANaples or on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/nsanaples/.