
                         THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
                 Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 15, 1994                    TAG: 9406140409 
SECTION: MILITARY NEWS                     PAGE: A12    EDITION: FINAL  
SOURCE: Medium 
DATELINE: 940615                                 LENGTH:

WEEKLY BRIEFING

{LEAD} DUTIES TRANSFERRED: The bulk of Navy training in anti-submarine warfare is being shifted to San Diego, so a command that handled those duties in Norfolk has been merged ino the larger Atlantic Fleet Training Center. Fleet Anti-Submarine Warfare Training Center, established in 1956, was disestablished in ceremonies last week. The command's number of personnel, as high as 250 recently, is now at 130 and will fall to 55. A new ASW Department has been established as one of 10 departments of the Fleet Training Center in Norfolk.

{REST} HISTORIC WORK: Two French naval greats worked together recently for the first time in 200 years - this time, as ships helping enforce United Nations sanctions against Yugoslavia. The destroyer Comte de Grasse, based in Norfolk, and the French corvette La Motte-Piquet are part of Operation Sharp Guard, based in the Adriatic. The ships' namesakes fought naval battles against the British in the Caribbean and elsewhere; Comte de Grasse prevented reinforcement of British troops at Yorktown during the Revolutionary War, helping Americans win the pivotal battle. In an ironic twist, both naval vessels were serving under the flag of a British commander during their work with the multinational force in the Adriatic.

\ ROOSEVELT WINS AWARD: The prestigious 1993 Battenberg Cup Award, given to the best ship in the Atlantic Fleet, has been presented to the carrier Theodore Roosevelt. About half the Navy's 406 ships are in the Fleet. The ships are judged on battle readiness, safety, quality of life and retention. The Norfolk-based carrier, commissioned in 1986, also won the award in 1991.

\ FAMILY SERVICES

FINANCIAL PLANNING: Little Creek Navy Family Services Center is sponsoring ``Mid-Summer Financial Planning'' - a series to be held July 12, 13 and 14, 6:30 to 9 p.m. Sessions will cover developing a spending plan, using credit wisely and insurance. For information, call 464-8101.

\ COMINGS & GOINGS

CHANGE OF COMMAND:

Lt. Col. Bradley E. Smith relieved Lt. Col. Mark Henderson as commander of the 11th Transportation Battalion (Terminal) at Fort Story. Smith was executive officer to the commanding general of the Army Transportation Center at Fort Eustis. Henderson will attend the Army War College in Pennsylvania.

Cmdr. Richard D. Costello will relieve Capt. Kenneth D. Fredericks as commander of the Navy Material Transportation Office in Norfolk. Costello comes from the combat stores ship Sylvania, where he was supply officer. Fredericks is the new commanding officer of the Fleet Hospital Support Office.

Capt. Gary M. Jack relieved Capt. J. Michael Johnson as commander of Carrier Air Wing 8, assigned to the carrier Theodore Roosevelt. Jack had served as deputy commander of the air wing.

Rear Adm. William J. Ecker will relieve Rear Adm. W. Ted Leland as commander of the 5th Coast Guard District, based in Portsmouth. Ecker is chief of the Office of Navigation Safety and Waterway Services in Washington. Leland is retiring.

by CNB