Naval Oceanography Operations Command Conducts Ceremony for New Leadership

Recently, Captain J. P. Garstka was relieved by Captain Heather Quilenderino as Commanding Officer, Naval Oceanography Operations Command (NOOC) at Stennis Space Center on the 27^th of April.

During ceremony, NOOC’s Sailors, civilians and other guests bided farewell to Garstka while offering a warm welcome to the incoming Quilenderino.

 The Change of Command ceremony is not prescribed specifically by U.S. Navy Regulations, but rather is a time-honored naval tradition.

The ceremony’s guest speaker was Rear Admiral Ronald Piret, the Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (CNMOC).
A Naval Academy alum from Austin, Texas, Garstka has served since commissioning in 1999 and in the Naval Oceanography community since 2003. 
Garstka took command of NOOC in 2021, leading the newly assigned EMW mission and sharpening its focus in an ever-evolving Navy. 

Garstka is headed to Washington, D.C to work as the Executive Assistant for the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare, Oceanography Capabilities and Requirements Branch (OPNAV N2N6E).

Quilenderino, a native of Richmond, Virginia, received her commissioning in 2002 from the University of South Carolina NROTC and went on to earn her Surface Warfare Officer designation before laterally transferring to the Naval Oceanography community in 2005. She later earned her M.S. in Oceanographic Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program and a PhD in Meteorology from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. 

Quilenderino has previously served as the Commanding Officer of the Naval Ice Center. She assumes command at NOOC after serving as the Deputy Executive Assistant for the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare (OPNAV N2N6) and Director of Naval Intelligence.  Her speech at the ceremony expressed her excitement at the new opportunities ahead.

 “If history is foreshadowing, then I am coming home to exactly where I am supposed to be.  The USW mission has been near and dear to my heart for 20 years. For the past 10 years, the focus on the EMW mission and the critical impact of the environment on that mission has increased daily.  I am extremely proud to be the Commanding Officer of NOOC and excited about the future ahead of NOOC and what we will accomplish together. This is a command filled with incredible and dedicated talent to get after a mission our Navy needs today.”

A Change of Command is a military tradition that represents a formal transfer of authority and responsibility for a unit from one commander to another. It is designed to publicize to the command the absolute transfer of authority. The passing of colors, standards, or ensigns from an outgoing commander to an incoming one ensures that the unit and its service members and civilians are never without official leadership.
 
The Naval Oceanography Operations Command applies knowledge of the physical environment to enable the successful execution of Information Warfare (IW), Mine Warfare (MIW), Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), Naval Special Warfare (NSW), and Electromagnetic Maneuver Warfare (EMW).  They oversee the administration, financial management, operations, training, and certification of two subordinate commands, eight detachments/components, with over 200 Sailors and civilians as well as providing a 24/7 “one-stop shop” for support to Fleet commanders through the Reach-Back Center (RBC), located at Stennis Space Center, MS.
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