An official website of the United States Government 
Here's how you know

Official websites use .gov

.gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

You have accessed part of a historical collection on defense.gov. Some of the information contained within may be outdated and links may not function. Please contact the DOD Webmaster with any questions.
Immediate Release

Flag Officer Assignments

Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John M. Richardson announced today the following assignments:

Rear Adm. (lower half) David G. Manero will be assigned as senior defense official, Defense Attaché, United Kingdom, U.S. European Command, London, England.  Manero most recently served as defense attaché, Moscow, Russia.

Capt. John J. Adametz, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific; and director, Fleet Civil Engineer, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  Adametz is currently serving as commanding officer, Naval Facilities Expeditionary Warfare Center, Port Hueneme, California.

Capt. James A. Aiken Jr., selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as deputy director for resources and acquisition, J8, Joint Staff, Washington, District of Columbia.  Aiken is currently serving as executive assistant and naval aide, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Financial Management and Comptroller, Washington, District of Columbia.  

Capt. Thomas J. Anderson, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as commander, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Washington, District of Columbia.  Anderson is currently serving as executive assistant, Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia.

Capt. Heidi K. Berg, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as director, J2, U.S. Africa Command, Stuttgart, Germany.  Berg is currently serving as special assistant to the director of Digital Warfare Office, Washington, District of Columbia.  

Capt. William E. Chase III, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as deputy director, command, control, communications, and computers/cyber (DD C4/Cyber), J6, Joint Staff, Washington, District of Columbia.  Chase is currently serving as chief of staff, Naval Information Forces, Suffolk, Virginia.

Capt. Richard J. Cheeseman Jr., selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as assistant commander for career management, PERS-4, Navy Personnel Command, Millington, Tennessee.  Cheeseman is currently serving as acting assistant commander for career management, PERS-4, Navy Personnel Command, Millington, Tennessee.

Capt. Craig A. Clapperton, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as deputy director, future operations, J3F, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland.  Clapperton is currently serving as director, aviation safety, Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, San Diego, California.

Capt. Joseph A. Diguardo Jr., selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as deputy director of plans and policy for countering weapons of mass destruction, U.S. Special Operations Command, Tampa, Florida.  Diguardo is currently serving as assistant deputy director for global operations; and special assistant to the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for special projects and innovations, Joint Staff, Washington, District of Columbia. 

Capt. Leonard C. Dollaga, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as commander, Undersea Warfighting Development Center, Groton, Connecticut.  Dollaga is currently serving as director, Department of the Navy Appropriations Matters Office, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Financial Management and Comptroller, Washington, District of Columbia.

Capt. Kristen B. Fabry, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as director, Logistics, Fleet Supply and Ordnance, N4, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  Fabry is currently serving as director, Fleet Resources Integration, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Norfolk, Virginia.

Capt. Christopher S. Gray, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as commander, Navy Region Northwest, Silverdale, Washington.  Gray is currently serving as chief of staff, Navy Installations Command, Washington, District of Columbia.

Capt. John E. Gumbleton, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as deputy chief of staff for strategy, resources, and plans, N5, U.S. Naval Forces Europe/Africa/U.S. Sixth Fleet, Naples, Italy.  Gumbleton is currently serving as director, Department of the Navy Operations Division, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Financial Management and Comptroller, Washington, District of Columbia.

Capt. James A. Kirk, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as deputy commander/chief of staff, Joint Warfare Center, Allied Command Transformation, Stavanger, Norway.  Kirk is currently serving as deputy, weapons and sensors, N96, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, District of Columbia.  

Capt. Timothy J. Kott, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as assistant chief of staff, operations, Allied Joint Forces Command, Naples, Italy.  Kott is currently serving as branch head, program planning and development, N801, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, District of Columbia.

Capt. John S. Lemmon, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as commander, Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division; and assistant commander for research and engineering, Naval Air Systems Command (AIR-4.0), Patuxent River, Maryland.  Lemmon is currently serving as vice commander, Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland.

Capt. Fredrick R. Luchtman, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as lead for the physiological episodes (PE) effort, Arlington, Virginia.  Luchtman is currently serving as executive assistant, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Capt. Scott W. Pappano, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as director, Comprehensive Test Facility, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Pappano is currently serving as compatibility test facility program manager, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Capt. Ryan B. Scholl, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as deputy director, plans, J5, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.  Scholl is currently serving as chief of staff, Naval Air Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, Norfolk, Virginia.

Capt. Philip E. Sobeck, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as director, 21st Century Sailor Office, N17, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, District of Columbia.  Sobeck is currently serving as special assistant, N2/N6, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, District of Columbia.

Capt. Gregory N. Todd, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as chaplain of the Marine Corps; deputy chief of chaplains; and deputy director of religious ministries, N097B, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, District of Columbia.  Todd is currently serving as chaplain of the Coast Guard, Headquarters, U.S. Coast Guard, Washington, District of Columbia.

Capt. Douglas C. Verissimo, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as deputy director for operations, National Joint Operations Intelligence Center, Operations Team Two, J3, Joint Staff, Washington, District of Columbia.  Verissimo is currently serving as commanding officer, USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), San Diego, California.  

Capt. Darin K. Via, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as deputy chief, medical operations, M3, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Falls Church, Virginia.  Via is currently serving as command surgeon, U.S. Central Command, Tampa, Florida.

Capt. George M. Wikoff, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as deputy director for operations, National Joint Operations Intelligence Center, Operations Team Five, J3, Joint Staff, Washington, District of Columbia.  Wikoff is currently serving as executive assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, District of Columbia.