Wednesday, October 05, 2016

Chatfield to command Joint Region Marianas

Rear Adm. Shoshana Chatfield has been assigned to the post of commander of Joint Regions Marianas, according to an announcement yesterday from the Department of Defense. Chatfield will replace Rear Adm. Babette "Bette" Bolivar as the U.S. Pacific Command representative, Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau; commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Marianas; and commander, Joint Region Marianas.
Chatfield is a native of Garden Grove, California, according to the Navy website.
She was appointed rear admiral in May 2015.

The Guam command will not be the first time Chatfield has been assigned to the region.
Chatfield was the 20th commanding officer of helicopter combat unit HC-5 and, upon its dissolution, the first commanding officer of the helicopter sea combat unit 25, the Island Knights, which operates out of Andersen Air Force Base. Following that post, she commanded a joint provincial reconstruction team in Farah Province, Afghanistan, in 2008 and was type wing commander of HSC Wing, U.S. Pacific Fleet from 2011-2013.
Chatfield graduated from Boston University in 1987 with a bachelor's degree in international relations and French language and literature. Chatfield received her commission through the Navy ROTC in 1988 and became a naval aviator in 1989. She was assigned to West Coast Helicopter Combat Support Squadrons (HC), serving in HC-1, HC-3, HC-5 and twice in HC-11 before she moved to the Helicopter Sea Combat community.
Chatfield was deployed to a number of detachments in the Western Pacific and Arabian Gulf where she supported carrier strike group and amphibious ready group operations.
Chatfield served as the deputy executive assistant to the chief of naval operations, senior military assistant to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe and previous to her newest assignment to the region, was the U.S. deputy military representative to the NATO Military Committee in Brussels, Belgium.
Chatfield's additional educational accomplishments include recipient of the Navy's political/military scholarship, master's degree in public administration from Harvard in 1997 and assistant professor of political science at the United States Air Force Academy from 2001-2004. In 2009, the University of San Diego conferred upon her the degree of doctor of education.
Her personal awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Legion of Merit (two awards), Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal (three awards), Army Commendation Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Navy Achievement Medal and various unit awards.
Lt. Tim Gorman, public affairs officer of Joint Region Marianas, was unable to provide a date for the change of command and said that Bolivar had not yet received her next assignment.

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