Story by Mr. Loren L. Nichols
Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Squadron ONE
The U.S. Navy held a change of command ceremony on Sept. 25, 2023 at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Keyport, Washington. During the ceremony, Capt. Jason Geddes relieved Capt. Jason Weed as Commander, Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Squadron (UUVRON) 1.
“Will we be able to measure up to the greatest generation, play a major role in winning future wars, and still be around and successful 80 years from now?” said Geddes in a speech during the ceremony. “The answer to that question is closely related with the level of effort going on today. I will do my best as your leader to continue to grow our team and become the squadron our nation’s military leaders need us to be.”
The U.S. Navy uses UUVs to enhance undersea capabilities and further our understanding of the undersea domain through the information their sensors provide. UUVRON-1 operates various families of autonomous vehicles ranging from small Iver series vehicles to extra-large vehicles such as the eighty-five-foot-long diesel-electric Orca vehicle.
“During his time in command, Jason [Weed] worked with stakeholders and leaders across the U.S. Navy and Department of Defense to create a vision and commander’s intent for the integration of unmanned systems into our undersea forces,” said Rear Adm. Rick Seif, commander, Submarine Force U.S. Pacific Fleet. Seif presided over the change of command ceremony, and addressed the audience. “His efforts, and the efforts of UUVRON-1 will be enduring, and will serve as a roadmap for continued integration of unmanned undersea vehicles into operations well into the future.”
UUVRON-1 provides staff oversight of four subordinate commands: UUV Flotilla (UUVFLOT) One in Keyport, Washington; UUVFLOT-3 in Ventura, California; Detachment Little Creek in Virginia; and the Unmanned Operations Center, also in Keyport. UUVRON-1 was established as a major command in July 2022.