At Yokosuka Naval Base on Thursday, 7th Fleet welcomed a new command master chief, the fleet’s top enlisted person, responsible for representing the interests of thousands of enlisted sailors.

Command Master Chief Petty Officer Tom Howard replaced Command Master Chief Petty Officer Ashley Smith in a ceremony aboard the USS Blue Ridge, the fleet command ship.

Smith will soon become the command master chief for the USS Kitty Hawk. Both ships are based in Yokosuka.

Howard previously was command master chief for Commander, Amphibious Group 1, in Sasebo, Japan and Okinawa.