Pearl Harbor, Hawaii -- Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet held a change of command ceremony at the historic submarine piers on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Feb. 21.
Converse, right, relieves Caudle, left, as the commander of Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, during a change of command ceremony aboard the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Mississippi. Photo by MCS 2nd Class Shaun Griffin
Rear Adm. Blake L. Converse relieved Rear Adm. Daryl L. Caudle as COMSUBPAC and commander, Task Force 134. Caudle assumed command in September 2017 and oversaw 60 percent of the entire U.S. Navy Submarine Force. This included oversight of the nation’s ballistic missile submarine fleet operating in the Pacific on behalf of U.S. Strategic Command Commander Air Force General John E. Hyten. "We are blessed with extraordinary levels of talent across our Force," said Caudle. “With such a large talent pool in our Navy, it makes it all the more impressive that our nation’s submariners are truly the best of the best.” During his tour, Caudle guided the Pacific Submarine Force through 19 attack and guided missile submarine deployments and 26 strategic deterrent patrols in support of combatant commands.
As Converse assumed command, he thanked Caudle for a smooth turnover and for leaving him with an experienced staff ready to take on new undersea challenges. "Over the past two decades we’ve pivoted our Navy’s forces to the Pacific, and now we’re forging a Navy that is laser-focused on the great power competition on the high seas,” said Converse. “This is going to require a clear, shared vision of how we will fight today in the undersea domain, and what that fight will look like in the next 10 years.”