Navy Region Northwest Rear Admiral Mark Sucato, far right, shakes the hand of Cmdr. Todd Galvin as he takes command of Naval Magazine Indian Island.

Navy Region Northwest Rear Admiral Mark Sucato, far right, shakes the hand of Cmdr. Todd Galvin as he takes command of Naval Magazine Indian Island.

New comanding officer takes over at Naval Magazine

PORT HADLOCK — Cmdr. Todd Galvin has assumed command of Naval Magazine Indian Island and Naval Munitions Command Pacific CONUS West Division Unit Indian Island.

Galvin relieved Cmdr. Andrew Crouse, who had commanded the facility since June 2021, during a June 22 ceremony.

“I am humbled to have the opportunity today to assume command of this installation and this vital part of Naval Munitions Command Pacific,” Galvin said.

Galvin, a native of Onalaska, Wis., holds a bachelor’s in electrical and electronic engineering from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis.

Galvin is a helicopter pilot with more than 2,300 flight hours in SH-60B and MH-60R Seahawk helicopters; the Seahawks are anti-submarine platforms that usually operate from frigates, destroyers or cruisers.

Galvin most recently served in the future operations directorate at U.S. Africa Command, which is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany.

His personal awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal in addition to other unit and personal awards.

Under Crouse’s leadership, the magazine has safely handled more than 123,000 tons of conventional ordnance in support of 60 vessels, the Navy said.

“Naval Magazine Indian Island successfully met every operational requirement on time in support of Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Army units, and American Allies throughout the Pacific theater under Andrew’s command,” said Commander Navy Region Northwest Rear Adm. Mark Sucato, who served as the ceremony’s guest speaker.

“The Indian Island team’s attention to detail and pride in their work is evident in the positive feedback they continually receive from customers and in their impeccable safety record,” Sucato said.

Crouse’s next assignment is the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) based in San Diego, Calif.

“These past two years have really flown by,” Crouse said last week. “I can’t express how proud I am of our accomplishments over the past two years.”

Crouse holds a bachelor’s in agricultural systems management from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo.

He has been an E-2 Hawkeye naval flight officer since 2008 and has more than 2,000 flight hours in the carrier-based airborne early warning aircraft.

The magazine is the U.S. Navy’s primary deep-water ammunition port on the West Coast.

It has a 1,600-foot pier that can handle the largest Navy and commercial vessels afloat and more than 100 magazines that store conventional munitions ranging from small arms ammunition to aircraft ordnance to ship-launched missiles.

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