U.S.S. RONALD REAGAN CONDUCTS CHANGE-OF-COMMAND CEREMONY - U.S.A. CAPTAIN CHRISTOPHER E. BOLT REPLACING U.S.A. CAPTAIN THOMAS W. BURKE

U.S.S. RONALD REAGAN CONDUCTS CHANGE-OF-COMMAND CEREMONY - U.S.A. CAPTAIN CHRISTOPHER E. BOLT REPLACING U.S.A. CAPTAIN THOMAS W. BURKE

By eCoronado.com, August 13, 2013

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SAN DIEGO (August 13, 2013) Official party members salute during the change of command ceremony for the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Capt. Christopher Bolt relieved Capt. Thom Burke as the ship’s commanding officer. Ronald Reagan is currently moored and homeported at Naval Base Coronado. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Terry Godette/Released)

USS Ronald Reagan Conducts Change of Command

By MC3 Terry Godette, USS RONALD REAGAN Public Affairs

San Diego – Capt. Christopher E. Bolt relieved Capt. Thom W. Burke as commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) during a change of command ceremony Aug. 13.

Burke assumed command of Reagan in July 2010. While on deployment in 2011, he successfully led the ship and her crew as they performed humanitarian relief efforts following a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan.

During Reagan’s Docked Planned Incremental Availability in 2012, Burke led the ship through more than 600,000 man-days of work by Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility employees, ship's force Sailors and contractors.

Burke will be reporting to Commander, Naval Air Forces to await further assignment.

“What this ship and crew have been able to achieve over the last three years has been amazing. I am humbled and blessed to have been a part of this team, and it’s been, hands down, the defining tour of my naval career,” Burke said. “There are more challenges ahead for this ship, but I know of no more qualified officer than Chris Bolt to take the helm. He takes over a proud ship with a great reputation, and the future is bright.”

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SAN DIEGO (August 13, 2013) Rear Adm. Patrick Hall, commander of Carrier Strike Group Nine, presents Capt. Thom Burke with the Legion of Merit award during the change of command ceremony for the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Burke was relieved by Capt. Christopher Bolt as the ship’s commanding officer. Ronald Reagan is currently moored and homeported at Naval Base Coronado. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Terry Godette/Released)

The Commander of Carrier Strike Group 9, Rear Adm. Patrick Hall, served as the guest speaker for the ceremony. Hall spoke about Burke’s strong leadership and impact upon the crew.

“If you ask Capt. Burke why the USS Ronald Reagan has been so successful, he would immediately tell you that it is because of its Sailors. While that statement is true, it does not capture the contribution that Thom made to that effort. His strong and decisive leadership gave vision and direction to his Sailor's actions, and there should be no underestimation of that

impact,” said Hall. “Thom is a phenomenal ship's captain, aviator, and shipmate, and I have no doubt that success will follow him in his ensuing tours. Chris, you have an outstanding reputation as an aviator and ship's captain yourself, and Ronald Reagan is lucky to have you taking over the watch. I know you will do both her and her crew proud."

Under Burke’s command, Reagan earned the 2011 Secretary of the Navy and Chief of Naval Operations Afloat Safety awards, which were both major firsts for the ship. He also led the crew to the best Maintenance and Material Management inspection for a nuclear powered aircraft carrier in five years.

Bolt assumes command of Reagan after serving as the Senior Military Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Integration/ Department of Defense Chief Information Officer since May 2011.

"I am honored to be taking over the helm of USS Ronald Reagan. The ship and her crew have had considerable success under Capt. Burke's command; I hope to continue that tradition and keep improving the team that he has already created,” Bolt said. “It will be difficult to live up to our reputation as ‘America’s Flagship’. This phrase means we have to be the best – and that can only be achieved through dedication and a steady strain of deliberate training. In today’s Navy, with the wide array of possible missions, we have to work harder and smarter.

“Every ship in the Navy, but especially the aircraft carrier, has two strategic responsibilities: 1) maintain this national asset so that it remains fully combat ready for the full 50-year lifespan, and 2) develop this crew as the future generation of the U.S. Navy. The most junior Sailors within our crew today are tomorrow’s leadership. We have to train them to be the senior officers and Chief Petty Officers of the future. At a more tactical level, my goal is for this crew to be the best in operating the complex systems of this great warship. We must be perfect in the basics, the blocking and tackling, of operations, and with reduced steaming time, we will need to work even harder to develop those very perishable skills.”

Ronald Reagan was commissioned in July 2003, making it the ninth nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. The ship is named for the 40th U.S. president, and its motto, “Peace through Strength” was a recurring theme during the Reagan presidency.

For more news from USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and the Ronald Reagan Strike Group, visit the ship’s official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ussronaldreagan.

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Captain Thom W. Burke

CAPT Burke was born in Royal Oak, Michigan in 1961. He received a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan in 1984, and a Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard University in 1996.

Commissioned through Aviation Officer Candidate School in 1985, he began his fleet career as a pilot flying SH-3H Sea Kings in Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron FOUR (HS-4) aboard USS CARL VINSON. HS-4 completed two deployments to the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans during his tour, which was highlighted by his participation in two open ocean rescues. In 1993 CAPT Burke transitioned to the SH-60F and HH-60H model aircraft while assigned to HS-6 aboard USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN. HS-6 completed two deployments including operations in Somalia and the Arabian Gulf. In 1997 he was assigned to HS-8 aboard USS NIMITZ in Carrier Air Wing NINE as Operations Officer and Squadron Weapons and Tactics Instructor. During their Arabian Gulf deployment, HS-8 provided helicopter support to Joint Special Operations Forces in theater as part of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH. In September 2002 CAPT Burke reported to HS-8 as Executive Officer and assumed command on June 15th 2003. During this tour HS-8 completed an eight month deployment to the Western Pacific in support of the Global War on Terrorism.

Shore tours include assignment as an intern at the Joint Staff serving in the Persian Gulf Branch of J-5 during Operations DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM, and Aide to Commander Naval Base San Francisco and Commander Logistics Group ONE. Additionally, he served on the Joint Staff as the J-5 desk officer for Central Asia and Afghanistan prior to and during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.

He completed Nuclear Power training in June 2006 and then served as the first Executive Officer of USS GEORGE H. W. BUSH from August 2006 to April 2008. In July 2008, he took command of USS BLUE RIDGE moored in Yokosuka, Japan, and served as CO until Nov 2009, earning the Battle “E” during his tour.

CAPT Burke’s personal awards include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Commendation Medals, Navy Commendation Medals, Joint Achievement Medal, and Navy Achievement Medals. Additionally, he was selected as the Naval Helicopter Association “Aircrew of the Year” in 1994 for an open ocean rescue of a Canadian teenager 500 miles off the coast of Oregon.

Captain Christopher E. Bolt

A native of Springfield, Virginia, Captain Bolt graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1987 earning a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. His initial flight training in Pensacola, Florida, included carrier qualification aboard USS LEXINGTON, CV-16, in 1988.

As an aircraft commander and instructor pilot in the E-2C Hawkeye and C-2A Greyhound, CAPT Bolt has flown with multiple VAW and VRC squadrons on both coasts and Japan and completed 9 deployments. He has accumulated more than 5500 flight hours in multiple aircraft types including the E-2, C-2, and F-14. He has successfully piloted more than 600 arrested landings on a combined total of fourteen aircraft carriers. He participated in Operations DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt and was also forward deployed to Manama, Bahrain.

In addition to being a fleet E-2C pilot, Captain Bolt was a Landing Signals Officer (CAG LSO) where he regularly flew the F-14A on deployment. He later became the Officer in Charge of the U.S. Navy’s Landing Signals Officer School at NAS Oceana, Virginia. He earned a Master’s degree in Strategic Studies at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island and graduated with distinction in June 2002. After graduation, he reported to VAW-120 in Norfolk as the Executive Officer.

Captain Bolt served as the XO and then commanded the Liberty Bells of VAW-115 flying from the deck of USS Kitty Hawk, home-ported in Yokosuka, Japan, from October 2003 to April 2006. While in command, CAPT Bolt was selected for the Navy’s Nuclear Propulsion Training pipeline in Charleston, S.C. He completed Naval Nuclear Officer training at the Office of Naval Reactors in Washington, D.C. in September 2007. CAPT Bolt served as Executive Officer, USS Nimitz CVN-68, from December 2007 to November 2009.

Captain Bolt commanded USS Dubuque, LPD-8, from February 2010 to April 2011 where he deployed to the 5th Fleet AOR. As part of CTF-151, his crew and embarked Marines captured nine Somali pirates aboard the Motor Vessel Magellan Star whereby freeing the international crew of eleven sailors.

He served as the Senior Military Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Integration (ASD NII)/DoD Chief Information Officer from May 2011 to March 2013.

Captain Bolt’s personal awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medals, Strike Flight Air Medals, Navy Commendation Medals (one with combat “V”), and Navy Achievement Medal.