Incoming Vice Adm. Douglas Perry, left, shakes hands with Vice Adm. Daniel Dwyer after relieving him of his duties in a change of command ceremony aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman at Naval Station Norfolk on Jan. 12, 2024. (Billy Schuerman, The Virginian-Pilot/TNS)
(Tribune News Service) — “Vice Adm. Perry, I am ready to be relieved,” Vice Adm. Daniel Dwyer said.
Douglas Perry officially took the helm Friday of two Norfolk-based commands: NATO’s Joint Force Command and the U.S. Second Fleet. Perry, promoted from rear admiral to vice admiral, also will serve as the director of the Combined Joint Operations from the Sea Centre of Excellence.
Local politicians and dozens of military members from 31 NATO countries boarded the USS Harry S. Truman pierside at Naval Station Norfolk to attend the event.
The change of command ceremony was held after months of delays because of a military promotion blockade in Congress. Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama blocked the nominations of the U.S. military’s top brass in opposition to Pentagon rules that allow travel reimbursement when a service member has to go out of state to get an abortion or other reproductive care. Tuberville ended his blockade in December, and the Senate confirmed the last of roughly 450 nominations before Christmasy, the Associated Press reported.
“This national nightmare is now over,” Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro said as guest speaker for Friday’s ceremony. “Our sailors and Marines who sail in harm’s way have the right to have the most experienced capable officers, admirals and generals and colonels and others leading them in battle.”
After the ceremony, Del Toro told The Virginian-Pilot he is thankful for Navy and Marine Corps leaders such as Dwyer and Perry who demonstrated patience while they were in limbo for around eight months.
“It’s more than just patience,” Del Toro said. “It’s patience based on their love of this country and love of their Navy and their Marine Corps to continue serving the way that they have while they’ve been disrespected by one senator who basically placed the hold on all those individuals collectively.”
Perry relieved Dwyer, who has led both commands since August 2021. Dwyer’s next assignment will be deputy chief of naval operations for warfighting development for the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington.
Since August, Perry has been acting as a special assistant to Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander of U.S. Fleet Forces, while awaiting confirmation. The time, Perry said, allowed him to ease into the role.
“I am eager to serve alongside these great staffs to preserve our defensive alliance and to carry the transatlantic link between North America and Europe,” Perry said. “I am ready to learn; my sea bag is packed.”
Perry is a 1989 graduate of the Naval Academy. He has made a career in undersea warfare as a submarine officer, serving as a division officer and Navy diver aboard the USS Pittsburgh, executive officer of the USS Maine and commanding officer of USS Pasadena. He most recently served as the director of the Undersea Warfare Division for the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.
Joint Force Command is responsible for ensuring the protection of the transatlantic link and monitoring NATO interests in the Arctic. The command is part of the only NATO headquarters in the U.S., which also encompasses the Allied Command Transformation.
It is one of three joint force commands across the world and is the only Atlantic advocate within the alliance. The Norfolk-based Joint Force Command is also home to the only sea center of excellence in the U.S.
U.S. Second Fleet was disestablished in 2011 but was reestablished in 2018 in response to rising global tensions. The command acts as a training hub, preparing warships to deploy.
“The United States flag officer corps and general officer corps, we are ready to execute and lead our sailors, airmen, Marines and soldiers,” Perry said. “We are ready.”
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