‘Let’s buckle up’: Pac Fleet sustainment chief takes over Guam-based submarines

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — Leadership of a U.S. Navy command that oversees undersea warfare from the Western Pacific to the Arabian Sea has changed hands at 7th Fleet headquarters south of Tokyo.

Rear Adm. Gary Montalvo Jr. assumed command of Submarine Group 7 from Rear Adm. Lincoln Reifsteck during an Aug. 17 ceremony, according to a Wednesday news release from the group.

The group, which functions as 7th Fleet’s Task Force 74 and 5th Fleet’s Task Force 54, oversees at least five fast-attack submarines and the submarine tenders USS Frank Cable and USS Emory S. Land, all homeported on Guam.

The command also coordinates operations for five surveillance vessels and three oceanographic survey ships when they’re tasked for anti-submarine warfare operations in the region, according to group’s website.

Reifsteck, of Fairfield, Calif., took command in March 2025 and oversaw 10 submarine deployments, 37 port visits and led numerous operations with six partner nations, according to the news release.

“While I am so proud of our team of professionals, I am also grateful and humbled to have been able to contribute to this region with our allies and partners,” he said in the release. “Most notably we have built deep bonds of trust, interoperability, and eagerness to partner and to meet each country’s needs.”

Rear Adm. Gary Montalvo Jr., the new leader of Submarine Group 7, speaks during his change-of-command ceremony at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Aug. 17, 2026. (Brianna Thompson/U.S. Navy)

Interoperability is a term the military uses to describe the ability of a country’s armed forces to use another country’s training methods and equipment.

Reifsteck reports next to Washington where he’ll serve as the director of strategic integration for the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, according to the group.

Montalvo, of Santurce, Puerto Rico, most recently served as director of maritime headquarters and sustainment for the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

“Let’s buckle up and let’s get to it,” he told sailors attending the ceremony, according to the release.

Montalvo joined the Navy after high school in North Carolina and later graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. He also earned master’s degrees from George Washington University and Regent University, according to his Navy biography.

During his lengthy undersea career, Montalvo completed five strategic deterrent patrols, commanded the fast-attack submarine USS North Carolina and led Submarine Development Squadron Five.

He’s also served a variety of shore duties, including as a program analyst for the Office of the Secretary of Defense and as executive assistant to the head of U.S. Pacific Command.