Navy Cyber Defense Operations Command Holds Change of … – DVIDS

Navy Cyber Defense Operations Command (NCDOC) held a Change of Command ceremony at NCDOC in the Hall of Heroes June 30.

Capt. Sharon Pinder relived Capt. Christina Hicks as commanding officer of NCDOC. Hicks will report to the operational headquarters of U.S. Fleet Cyber Command / U.S. 10th Fleet as Chief of Staff for her follow-on tour.

Vice Adm. Kelly Aeschbach, commander, Naval Information Forces, served as presiding officer. In her opening remarks, Kelly highlighted many of Hicks’ and the command’s accomplishments.

Guest Speaker, Ms. Sany Radesky, Associate Director for Vulnerability Management for Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, thanked Hicks for her leadership and dedication during her tenure at NCDOC for the past two years.

“Hicks has led you all with full trust and empowerment. Her foundation on the people has enabled this team, as she has thoughtfully leveraged every talent, and creatively implemented the use of every available technology. She tirelessly dedicated her time to establish partnerships, and ambitiously advocated for more to better enable the people and mission of the command,” said Radesky.

During the ceremony, Hicks was presented farewell gifts from the Wardroom and Chief’s Mess.

Hicks spoke to the audience of more than 300 NCDOC personnel, family, and friends and thanked her team of their achievements at NCDOC.

“Thank you for trusting me to lead you, to have faith in the vision even when things were changing at a rapid pace, and for giving your all when we asked you to do the seemingly impossible, to modernize the Navy and bring defensive cyber operations into the 21st century,” said Hicks.

Hicks gave a special shout out to the only one Chief in the room who can tell her to go to her room, or at least try to – her father, Mr. Jeff Hicks, a veteran and retired Navy Chief.

In her closing remarks, Hicks said “I truly believe that leadership is love and love is service. Walk through these doors everyday with the knowledge that you are here to serve others, not only those withing these walls, but those out forward. I have no doubt Capt. Pinder will continue in that aim and use her tremendous talent, expertise, and experience to lead this command team and mission to heights of readiness and success unseen before.”

Hicks and Pinder each then read their orders to officially conclude the time-honored change of command ceremony. Then Pinder addressed NCDOC for the first time, serving as the tenth commanding officer.

Pinder spoke very highly of Hicks’ leadership and said, “It is a privilege to take the baton from such an esteemed and accomplished officer and member of the Information Warfare Community.”

Pinder is excited to continue to move NCDOC in the right direction.

“The time will soon come for me to clearly articulate my vision and goals going forward for the command. I will continue to build from Capt. Hicks’ legacy,” said Capt. Pinder.

Pinder graduated from Virginia Teach with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Systems Engineering and an academic minor in Leadership through her service in the Virgina Tech Corps of Cadets. She was commissioned in May 1999 as a Surface Warfare Officer (SWO). Since then, Pinder operational assignments as a SWO include assignments to USS Peterson (DD969). She was deployed in supports of Operational Iraqi and Enduring Freedom with Carrier Strike Group EIGHT on board USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and Carrier Strike Group TEN on board USS Harry S. Truman (CVN75). Pinder was later assigned to Amphibious Squadron Eleven on board USS Essex (LHD 2) as the Cryptologic Resource Coordinator and Deputy Information Warfare Commander deploying with the Forward Deployed Naval Forces in Sasebo, Japan, as well as many other leadership assignments.

NCDOC’s mission is to coordinate, monitor, and oversee the defense of Navy computer networks and systems. Provide Cyber Security Service Provider (CSSP) services and execute Defensive Cyberspace Operations (DCO) in order to enable global power projection.

For more information on NCDOC, visit the command Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NavyCyberWarriors or the public web page at https://www.navifor.usff.navy.mil/ncdoc/.

-USN-