Rear Adm. Kunkle takes command
of Carrier Group FIVE
By Joseph Giordono,
Yokosuka bureau chief
Rear Adm. Steven A. Kunkle took command of Carrier Group FIVE during a ceremony aboard
the USS Kitty Hawk, Navy officials said Thursday.
Kunkle took over for Rear Adm. Robert F. Willard in the scheduled change of command,
which took place while the ship was under way.
A 7th Fleet spokesman said such a change while a ship is under way is not unusual, and
the extent and timing of the ceremony is traditionally up to the outgoing commander.
Willard is already on his way to his next command as deputy commander in chief, U.S.
Pacific Fleet, in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the spokesman said.
Kunkle’s most recent assignment was in the Middle East, where he served six months
as deputy commander, Joint Task Force, Southwest Asia.
Kunkle said he looked forward to "the challenges we face in the coming
months," according to a news release.
Kunkle is a 1973 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and flew A-7 Corsairs and F/A-18
Hornets, logging 35 combat misssions over Kuwait and Iraq in Operations Desert Storm and
Provide Comfort. He later served as commander of Carrier Air Wing TWO aboard the USS
Constellation.
As commander of Carrier Group FIVE, Kunkle’s major commands include Carrier Air
Wing FIVE, the Kitty Hawk, the USS Chancellorsville, USS Cowpens and Destroyer Squad 15.
"In the days ahead we will be asked to put to work all the extensive training
conducted over the past year, and to do our nation’s bidding, sometimes in unexpected
and short notice ways," said Vice Adm. James Metzger, 7th Fleet commander, in a news
release. "We could ask for no better leadership for this 7th Fleet Battle
Force."
Metzger also praised Willard as an innovative leader who developed new tactics as the
7th Fleet’s mission changed over time, noting that "no other rear admiral in our
Navy is assigned responsibilities as extensive as those of Admiral Willard."
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