There's a new commander in town, as distinguished guests gathered at Andersen Air Force Base today for the change of command ceremony. Joint Region Marianas commander Rear Admiral Benjamin Nicholson passed on officials orders to incoming commander Rear Admiral Gregory Huffman. It’s a change of command coming off of the heels of a significant change for everyone on the island.

Huffman formally relieved Nicholson up at the Yigo base today. As a naval aviator, Huffman has operated outside of this same base numerous times, but as he assumes this new responsibility post-Typhoon Mawar, it, along with the island, looks different than before.

“As you drove in, you may have noticed damage to some of the base facilities, including roofing to the first hangar you passed," Nicholson addressed the crowd. "A hangar that normally holds these aircrafts - the HSC-25 helicopter. The bases sustained damage along with the community.”

Still, Huffman previously told KUAM News that he’s looking forward to the challenge of rebuilding and hardening infrastructure. “I arrived in the early recovery stages of Typhoon Mawar," he shared, "while some elements of that transition have been complicated, it’s also provided me with the opportunity to see our team and the people of Guam at their best.”

The incoming commander expressed his admiration for the hard work he’s witnessed following Mawar. “I have seen every service represented in the streets, the beaches, building roofs, moving cargo, and clearing debris. I have watched the same people affected by the storm wake up each day without power and go to work across the island to repair and recover. That is a true family," he said.

And as he prepares to officially begin as JRM commander, he’s pledging to safeguard those same people. He said, “I have many responsibilities in this role, but I have one primary mission: Prutehi Yan Defendi - to protect all the people of this island and throughout this region.”