By Judy Hartman, Public Affairs Specialist

With the words “I relieve you Sir,” a salute, and a handshake, Captain Timothy Matthews assumed command of Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE). On August 17th, in a ceremony in Hangar 1000, Captain Matthews became the second commanding officer of FRCSE and the 37th commanding officer since the command was established in 1940. The guest speaker for the change of command was Vice Admiral Thomas Kilcline, Commander, Naval Air Forces. Rear Admiral Michael Hardee, Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers, witnessed the ceremony as the reporting senior.
In his address, Captain Matthews spoke of his years of service in the Navy, and thanked his family and many friends who had traveled great distances to attend the ceremony. He talked about the enormous challenges of supporting the Warfighter facing all the FRC leadership. He also spoke of the future. “At FRCSE we will emphasize safety and quality in everything we do – whether it be flying functional checks here at Jax or fixing H-60 rotor blades up at Mayport – it is simply the way we do business – and we will maintain the stringent standards required for ISO certification. We will continue to build on our success with the Four Disciplines of Execution and we will focus on our most important goals: (1) On-time delivery of aircraft, engines, and components; (2) Reducing our costs; and (3) Developing our most important resource, our people, and we will achieve these goals by setting and maintaining a cadence of accountability.” For the last two years in his role as the FRCSE Executive Officer, Captain Matthews was involved in organizational change, Lean/Six-Sigma, and The 4 Disciplines of Execution? process improvement transformation efforts.
During his address, Vice Admiral Kilcline said, “The work the FRC does is critical to the success of Naval Aviation – and that means it is critical to the success of young men and young women who are flying in support of troops on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan.” Vice Admiral Kilcline concluded his remarks stating the important role FRCSE has in supporting naval aviation. “Whether we’re answering a call for close air support or a call for a medevac helo someplace where the roads are washed out, the capabilities naval aviation provides are the result of the hard work of thousands of people to make sure our aircrews have the right equipment to get their jobs done. We could not do what the Nation needs us to do without Fleet Readiness Center Southeast.”
Outgoing Commanding Officer, Captain John Scanlan recognized his family and distinguished guests and spoke of the milestones and accomplishments the command attained. He thanked his many friends and family members for their support during his naval career. He also expressed appreciation to many groups within the facility and city for their continued support to the command. Captain Scanlan reflected on former commanding officers, and with others he had served. “Each of these leaders as well as every sailor, chief, and officer, I have served with helped me frame the measure of service to our Nation and for 26 years, I answered the cadence of service. For the last four, it has been my privilege to serve with the finest patriots in our country, many on their second career serving the Navy and our Nation. Together, they have been shaping the future of naval aviation. They have been establishing the rhythm of excellence, the beat of performance to promise, and cadence of accountability.” At the end of Captain Scanlan’s remarks, Rear Admiral Hardee presented him the Legion of Merit. The ceremony concluded with Captain Scanlan presenting a flag that had flown at FRCSE on July 4, 2007, to his grandson, John Michael Sword. The ceremony also marked the retirement of Captain Scanlan from active duty.

PHOTO CAPTIONS

Photo by Katherine Midyette
Incoming Commanding Officer, Captain Timothy Matthews (left), Fleet Readiness Center Southeast reads his orders during the change of command ceremony. Also pictured are outgoing Commanding Officer, Captain John Scanlan II (center), and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers, Rear Admiral Michael Hardee.

Photo by Victor Pitts
Incoming Commanding Officer, Captain Timothy Matthews (left), Fleet Readiness Center Southeast, presents a shadowbox to outgoing Commanding Officer, Captain John Scanlan II, during the change of command ceremony.

Photo by Victor Pitts
Incoming Commanding Officer, Captain Timothy Matthews (l-r), Fleet Readiness Center Southeast; Commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet Vice Admiral Thomas Kilcline; Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers, Rear Admiral Michael Hardee; and outgoing Commanding Officer, Captain John Scanlan II, cut the cake following the Fleet Readiness Center Southeast change of command ceremony.