DESRON 15 holds change of command ceremony aboard USS Howard (DDG 83) at Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan

U.S. Navy Capt. Neil Gabriel, second from right, relieves Capt. David Huljack, second from left, as commodore of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15 during a change of command ceremony on the flight deck of Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Howard (DDG 83) at Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan, Aug. 14, 2026. DESRON 15 is the Navy’s largest DESRON and U.S. 7th Fleet’s principal surface force. U.S. 7th Fleet, the Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Taylor DiMartino)