NBG Holds Change of Command

ASAN, GUAM (Jan. 29, 2024) – Capt. John T. Frye relieved Capt. Michael D. Luckett as commanding officer of U.S. Naval Base Guam (NBG) during a Change of Command ceremony held at Top o’ the Mar in Asan, Jan. 26.
Commander, Joint Region Marianas Rear Adm. Greg Huffman was the guest speaker at the event, where he addressed attendees and expressed his gratitude for Luckett’s accomplishments.
 
“By our actions, our adversaries know that we are committed to the region and to the protection of Guam,” Huffman said. “Warfighting and preparing for battle are the tasks given to us; Mike enabled this mission through dedicated leadership, unmatched resolve and a vison for the future. He embodies the type of leader that gives the U.S. Navy an asymmetric advantage over our adversaries.”
 
Luckett has served as NBG’s commanding officer from July 2021 to January 2024. During this time, Luckett expertly led his command in providing installation support to 52 Department of Defense activities and six non-Department of Defense activities located on four geographically separate sites across 32,000 acres of land.
 
Among his accomplishments, Luckett’s exceptional logistical support enabled the safe completion of 1,856 ship movements and provided more than 45 million gallons of fuel to units of the U.S. Seventh Fleet, U.S. Transportation Command, Military Sealift Command, and allies. This support was indispensable to furthering the mission of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in the Marianas region. Luckett’s efficient and effective leadership during Typhoon Mawar, resulted in the rapid restoration of life support services to the ships, Sailors, and family under his care. Furthermore, he supported the local community providing personnel, equipment, and more than 1 million gallons of fresh water per day as part of an island wide storm recovery. Luckett’s superior performance of duties culminated his 30 years of honorable and dedicated military service.
 
“It has been my honor to have had the opportunity to lead this fantastic team over the past two and a half years,” Luckett said. “Each of you has played an important part in executing the mission of Naval Base Guam. Your efforts enabled the mission readiness of our homeported ships, shore-based tenants, and visiting units by providing a safe and secure environment for operations, logistics, and maintenance. You have supported quality of life for our service members, civilian employees, their families, and veterans. Additionally, your work has built the foundation for future readiness, laying the groundwork for the enhanced capacity and capabilities which are needed here in this era of Great Power competition.”
Frye recently served as commanding officer of the submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS-40) from May 2022 to December 2023.
 
“I first heard and learned of Guam roughly 34 years ago,” Frye said. “At that time, my dad, now a retired U.S. Navy submarine officer was completing a Western Pacific deployment and my mom traveled out to Guam to visit him during a mid-deployment port visit. Upon her return home from that visit and for years that followed, all I heard were her fond memories of Guam and a desire to go back. This instilled in me my own desire to one day visit Guam just to see all she was talking about.”
 
As Frank Cable’s commanding officer, Frye guided the crew through a critical expeditionary period which included conducting theater security cooperation events with allies and partners in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore; improving coordination and interoperability by hosting submarine staff talks between Commander, Task Force 74 and his counterparts in the Indonesian and Malaysian navies; and conducting 13 community relations projects in seven ports totaling more than 2,500 hours of community service.
 
Following the ship’s expeditionary period, Frank Cable and crew completed an extensive repair overhaul period in Vallejo, California. Frank Cable returned to its homeport in Apra Harbor, Guam in October to assume duty as the lead maintenance activity on the waterfront.
 
“I’m truly grateful and humbled to now have the opportunity for my family and I to continue our time in Guam, to continue to build and nurture relationships both on and off the installation, while furthering the Naval Base Guam mission of sustaining the fleet, enabling the warfighter, and supporting families,” Frye said.