Deployed MS Seabees get new CO

NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain – The Gulfport, Miss.-based deployed Seabees of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 11 held a change of command ceremony May 7 in Rota, Spain. Cmdr. Dean Allen assumed command from Cmdr. James Brown, bringing an end to his two-year assignment as commander. Guest speaker was Capt. Tim DeWitt, commander of the Gulfport-based Naval Construction Group (NCG) 2. “(I)t’s apparent that under (Brown’s) leadership, your NMCB-11 team contributed greatly to the Naval Construction Force, NECC, and the fleet," said DeWitt. Whether deployed or home, Brown’s battalion “has been recognized across the globe for everything from forward-thinking concepts to troop readiness." Allen began his naval service after graduating from Arizona State University in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. He comes to NMCB-11 from the Shore Readiness Budget Analyst at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for financial management and comptroller. NMCB-11 will remain deployed until relieved later this year, and have delegated project responsibility in Rota to the Seabees of the Gulfport Seabees of NMCB-1. (Source: NMCB 11 05/14/18) In a separate storyline from the deployed Seabees of NMCB-11, 10 members began construction of a helicopter mooring pad project in Poland for the U.S. Army's 1st Air Calvary Brigade (ACB) in support of the European Deterrence Initiative build-up of April 16, 2018.