U.S. National Ice Center Welcomes New Director

Commander R. D. Travis Wendt, USN relieved Commander Casey J. Gon, USN as Commanding Officer of  the U.S. National Ice Center (USNIC) during a change of command ceremony, April 28.

Commanding Officers of USNIC also dually serve as Director of the agency.

Subordinate to U.S. Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (Naval Oceanography)—USNIC is comprised of the U.S. Navy, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and United States Coast Guard (USCG).

During the ceremony, Gon praised the USNIC workforce-family.

“Their work is revered globally and leveraged by every other ice service in the world,” Gon said. “My small but mighty team created partnerships with industry testing: new technologies; new ways of gathering information; and exporting data to obtain a competitive advantage….we rose to challenges and exceeded expectations.”
Gon emphasized to Wendt the high-level of capability held by the USNIC workforce.

“You inherit a team with a heightened sense of readiness, a team that is ready, capable, and willing to continue to push the limits of supporting operations in, on, or near the ice,” Gon said.

Gon has served as the Director of USNIC since July 2021, overseeing its team of approximately 50 civilian and uniformed personnel. Under his leadership, the Center produced 50,000 snow and ice products and continued to modernize its systems and processes to better support the Fleet and various operational customers.

USNIC boosted its external visibility, participating in numerous community outreach events, professional conferences, and media engagements.

“I challenged the team to kick the doors open, welcome everyone, talk to everyone and anyone who would listen, and tell them what we do, and we executed this vision brilliantly,” said Gon.

Presiding officer of the ceremony was Captain Mark Murnane, USN, Commander, Fleet Weather Center, Norfolk.

 “Today we honor the impressive accomplishments…of the USNIC…For at least the next few minutes of today’s ceremony, we are all Sailors, and part of the broader Navy family that is dedicated to keeping our forces safe and secure…due to the dedication and ingenuity of this great team,”  Murnane said.

Reflecting upon Gon’s time in leadership, Murnane said: “I know you led with character, excellence, and respect…your team [USNIC] did all this with a character-based focus on what right looks like and what the future of the USNIC needs to bring to the fight. I know you have turned over a Command ready for the challenges ahead, and better for the experience of your leadership….job well done.”

Gon will now serve as Operations Officer, Naval Oceanography at NASA Stennis Space Center, Mississippi.

Wendt recently served as Fleet Oceanographer for U.S. Second Fleet in Norfolk, VA.

 “It is clear to me that I have big shoes to fill, and I am excited to work with the amazing team, I pledge to give USNIC my best – each and every day to support our efforts and enable success.”

Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command directs and oversees more than 2,500 globally-distributed military and civilian personnel who collect, process, and exploit environmental information to assist Fleet and Joint Commanders in all warfare areas to make better decisions faster than the adversary.