USS Roosevelt Holds Change of Command Ceremony
21 April 2023
NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain - Cmdr. Jeffrey Chewning relieved Cmdr. John Mastriani as commanding officer of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Roosevelt (DDG 80) during a change of command ceremony officiated by Capt. Ed Sundberg, Commodore, Destroyer Squadron 60, aboard the ship at Naval Station Rota, Spain, April 21, 2023.
Mastriani commanded Roosevelt since Nov. 16, 2021. During his tenure, Roosevelt completed its third and fourth Forward-Deployed Naval Forces-Europe (FDNF-E) patrols in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations. Highlights of Mastriani’s tour include integrating with both the Harry S. Truman and French Charles de Gaulle Carrier Strike Groups, completing Fleet Operational Sea Training with the U.K. Royal Navy, participating in joint exercises Cold Response and Joint Warrior, winning the anti-submarine warfare Bloodhound Award for the second consecutive year, and fulfilling various real-world tasks throughout Europe to reassure allies and deter adversaries.
“This team has shown me what the pursuit of excellence looks like - what it means to demand excellence and demand that we all treat each other well,” said Mastriani during the ceremony. “This ship and crew has done incredible things.”
Mastriani, a native of New Jersey, enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a Nuclear Field Electronics Technician before attending the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 2003 with a degree in Physics. He has previously served as the Anti-Submarine Warfare Officer on USS Vandegrift (FFG 48), Assistant Operations Officer at Amphibious Squadron One aboard USS Tarawa (LHA 1), Weapons and Combat Systems Officer on USS Shiloh (CG 67), Europe Missile Defense Plans and Exercise Lead at U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) and U.S. Sixth Fleet, Task Force 64, and Executive Officer on Roosevelt.
Chewning, a native of Germantown, Maryland, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2005 with a degree in International Relations. His first tours were as a Deck Division Officer on USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) in Yokosuka, Japan, and as Damage Control Assistant in USS Gettysburg (CG 64) in Mayport, Fla.. As a Department Head, he served as the Chief Engineer on USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) in Rota, Spain. He then served as Executive Officer and Commanding Officer on USS Dextrous (MCM 13) homeported in Manama, Bahrain, from 2015 to 2017. Chewning reported to Roosevelt as the Executive Officer in October 2021.
Chewning will take Roosevelt to sea for the first time during its fifth FDNF-E patrol this summer. As Commanding Officer, he will continue to execute a myriad of operations within the U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command areas of responsibility, including Sea Lines of Communication enforcement, Maritime Interdiction Operations, direct support to NATO combined and Joint operations and exercises, Counter-terrorism operations, Counter-piracy operations, Africa Maritime Law Enforcement Partnership operations, whole of government Africa Partnership Station deployments and Theater Security Cooperation activities both in port and underway.
USS Roosevelt, forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, completed its fourth FDNF-E patrol Feb. 4 in the NAVEUR area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied and partner interests.
Headquartered in Naples, Italy, NAVEUR-NAVAF operates U.S. naval forces in the U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) areas of responsibility. U.S. Sixth Fleet is permanently assigned to NAVEUR-NAVAF, and employs maritime forces through the full spectrum of joint and naval operations.