Vice Chief of Naval Operations (VCNO) Adm. Michael G. Mullen speaks at a graduation ceremony at Recruit Training Command (RTC) Great Lakes. VCNO Mullen made remarks as the guest speaker at both the graduation and the official Naval Service Training Command (formerly NTC Great Lakes) stand-up ceremony onboard Naval Station Great Lakes. (Courtesy of U.S. Navy)
NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain — The Navy’s vice chief of naval operations will be the new commander of U.S. naval forces in Europe.
Adm. Michael G. Mullen replaces Adm. Gregory G. Johnson as the top officer at U.S. Naval Forces Europe, which is headquartered in London. He will also serve as commander, Joint Forces Command in Naples, Italy. The command was known as Allied Forces Southern Europe until last April.
Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld made the announcement Thursday.
A date for the change of command has not been determined, said Lt. Cmdr. Terry Dudley, a headquarters spokesman in London.
Mullen has more than 35 years of service in the Navy and has served aboard a number of Navy cruisers, destroyers and aircraft carriers in both the Pacific and Atlantic fleets. He commanded Second Fleet/Commander Striking Fleet Atlantic from October 2000 to August 2001.
His various shore duties include assignments in the Pentagon on the staffs of the secretary of defense and the chief of naval operations.
Before taking the job of vice chief of naval operations on Aug. 28, 2002, he served as deputy chief of naval operations for Resources, Requirements and Assessments. In 1991, he attended the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program.
Johnson has served as the Navy’s top commander in Europe since Oct. 24, 2001. His future plans have not been announced.
U.S. Naval Forces Europe headquarters in London oversees more than 10,000 sailors and Marines stationed primarily at bases in Souda Bay, Crete; Sigonella, Sicily; Naples, Italy; La Maddalena, Italy; Keflavik, Iceland; and Rota, Spain.
The area of responsibility includes the Mediterranean Sea region, extends from the North Cape in Norway to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa and includes the Adriatic, Baltic and Black seas.
