CAPT Steven Leehe relieved CAPT Anthony Jaramillo as Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) commanding officer on May 14 during ceremonies held at Curtiss Park aboard Naval Air Station North Island.
CAPT Leehe previously served as the command's executive officer.
In his farewell remarks, CAPT Jaramillo addressed the command's employees, and spoke of their dedication and work in generating readiness for the Fleet.
"I have been fortunate to be surrounded by great people, women and men who do not need to be praised and recognized for what they as individuals have accomplished, but more for what the command and the Navy has accomplished," he said.
During Jaramillo's tenure, FRCSW set a number of Navy milestones including selection as the first command to implement the Naval Sustainment System (NSS), the first to establish an artisan skills lab, and the first FRC to undergo the four-day Command Cyber Readiness Inspection (CCRI). With a combined score of 80.5 percent, the command earned a CCRI grade of excellent.
Further, to increase material availability, FRCSW created the first Supply Officer billet at an FRC to increase collaboration between Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) and Defense Logistics Agency (DLA).
The move contributed to a material availability rate of 93 percent and material fill rate of 78 percent through the establishment of more than 200 build sets across 45 components within four production shops.
In total, during CAPT Jaramillo' s tenure, more than seven million direct labor hours in depot and intermediate-level maintenance were completed covering 23 type/model/series of aircraft, four engine types, and over 108,000 aircraft components.
A native of Wisconsin, CAPT Steven Leehe joined the Marine Corps in 1982 and honorably discharged in 1986. One year later, he enlisted in the Navy as an Airman, achieving the rank of AT1 in five years.
In 1993, he enrolled in Bluefield State College in Bluefield, W.Va., under the Enlisted Education Advancement Program and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering technology.
He was selected for Chief Petty Officer the following year and the Aviation Maintenance Duty Officer program. He reported to Officer Candidate School in August 1996.
In addition to serving as the commanding officer of Fleet Readiness Center West, CAPT Leehe's tours include assignments aboard the aircraft carriers USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67) and USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) as well as Amphibious Assault Ship USS Nassau (LHA 4), and Combat Stores Ship USS San Jose (AFS 7).
The FRCSW family looks forward to CAPT Leehe's leadership!
CAPT Jaramillo's next assignment will be as the N42 Force Maintenance Officer at Commander, Naval Air Forces.