YOKOSUKA, Japan –
Surrounded by 300 crew members and distinguished visitors, Cmdr. Jonathan Hightower relieved Cmdr. Marcus Seeger as the commanding officer of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold (DDG 65) after 21 months of command. The flight deck change of command ceremony is the product of rich naval tradition and ensures the authority, responsibility, and accountability of command is witnessed by all hands.
“Today we hand over the reins of this mighty warship from one very capable leader to the next,” said Capt. Walter Mainor, commander of Task Force (CTF) 71 and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, and presiding officer over the ceremony.
Benfold has spent the last 19 months on sustainment in U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations as part of America’s Forward-Deployed Naval Forces-Japan (FDNF-J). Mainor highlighted Benfold’s robust operational schedule, spending more than 300 days away from its forward-deployed port of Yokosuka, Japan, since October 2021 as the U.S. Navy’s most deployed ship.
“Benfold set the precedent for all FDNF-J ships,” he said. “Cmdr. Seeger built a resilient team of warfighters and a culture of excellence.”
During Seeger’s tour, Benfold led CTF 71 initiatives by supporting regional security efforts, expanding interoperability with region partners, and operating across multiple sub-regions to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Seeger is a native of Taylor Lake Village, Texas and commissioned through Auburn University NROTC in 2003. At the ceremony, he addressed his crew one last time.
“Team Benfold, I leave you with this: You are the finest group of warriors and naval professionals ever assembled,” he said. “Never forget the things that make you great, the work it took to get here, and what makes this ship and its crew the thing of legend. It’s been my life’s honor to serve you as your captain.”
Benfold is also one of U.S. Pacific Fleet’s most decorated as well as most-deployed, earning back-to-back Battle Efficiency Awards, a Fleet-high six-for-six Command Excellence Awards, as well as winning the Unit Tactics Award and Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award.
“So how did Benfold establish such a great reputation,” Mainor asked. “Through a commanding officer who refused to take a knee when the going was tough and refused to accept anything less than the best.”
Benfold is part of CTF 71, U.S. 7th Fleet’s principal surface force. CTF 71 is responsible for the readiness, tactical and administrative responsibilities for forward-deployed Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers as well as any surface unit conducting independent operations in the region.
U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.