YOKOSUKA, Japan – Rear Adm. Dan Cloyd relieved Rear Adm. Rick Wren during a change of command ceremony at the Commander, Naval Forces Japan headquarters building April 29. Cloyd becomes the 31st commander of U.S. Naval Forces Japan and is also Commander, Navy Region Japan and Commander, Naval Component, U.S. Forces Japan.
Commander, U.S. Seventh Fleet, Vice Adm. Scott Van Buskirk presided over the ceremony and praised Wren for his service during his term.
“Our Navy, our fleet, our alliance with Japan, our men and women in uniform and their families, and our national security are all better because of your service,” Van Buskirk told Wren. He also expressed his appreciation for the men and women of CNFJ and CNRJ saying, “the future continues to hold great opportunities for the men and women of CNFJ and CNRJ. What we do here in Japan and the Pacific is shaping the future in a positive way.”
Rear Adm. Wren expressed his gratitude to the men and women who made up the CNFJ/CNRJ team and paid tribute to the team’s ability to handle difficult challenges. “You’ve built this organization into what it is today and then you were absolutely magnificent when called upon after 3/11,” referring to the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan March 11, 2011. Wren added that the CNFJ/CNRJ team was critical to the Navy’s role in Operation Tomodachi.
Wren will retire from the Navy and settle in the state of Colorado with his wife Diane.
Rear Adm. Cloyd is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy. He has commanded two fighter squadrons as well as the fast combat support ship USS Sacramento and the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. Prior to taking command of CNFJ, Rear Adm. Cloyd was Commander, Task Force 70/ Carrier Strike Group 5 embarked aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington.
After officially assuming command, Cloyd addressed the group and said, “I thank you for the effort that you’ve done up until now and, most importantly, all that we will do together. And I will be part of this great team as we continue to build upon the legacy and the excellence that Rick and Diane have left.”
During the ceremony Wren was also awarded the Distinguished Service Medal on behalf of the President of the United States.
Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Japan’s mission is to support the ships and personnel of the U.S. Seventh Fleet. Its area of responsibility encompasses all Naval shore activities in Japan: Naval Air Facility Misawa, Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Fleet Activities Sasebo, Fleet Activities Okinawa and Navy Support Facility Diego Garcia in the British Indian Ocean Territory.