Rear Adm. 'V8' Verissimo Leaving Carrier Strike Group 9 Command For Washington

San Diego CA

01 May, 2021

8:54 PM

Description

By Ken Stone, Times of San Diego May 1, 2021 Among a raft of flag officer assignments announced Friday, the commander of Carrier Strike Group 9, based in San Diego, has been given a new job. Rear Adm. (lower half) Douglas C. Verissimo will be assigned as director, Assessment Division, N81, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington, D.C. He had held the strike group job at Naval Base San Diego since June 2020, when in a ceremony aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, he relieved Rear Adm. Stu Baker as commander. The change was among 13 announced by Thomas W. Harker, acting secretary of the Navy, and Adm. Mike Gilday, chief of naval operations. Nicknamed "V8," Verissimo is a native of Falmouth, Massachusetts. He's a 1987 graduate of Cape Cod Community College and has a bachelor's in applied mathematics from California State University, Fresno, and a master's in campaign planning and strategy from the Joint Forces Staff College. He's also a graduate of the Navy's Nuclear Power Program. His operational assignments include executive officer aboard the carrier Roosevelt, ported at North Island and the group's current flagship. Verissimo's shore assignments include instructor duty at (VFA) 125, a demonstration pilot for U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, Blue Angels; executive assistant to Commander, Naval Air Forces Atlantic and Joint Staff J3, where he served as joint force coordination/strategic plans division chief. Verissimo's command tours include the USS Carl Vinson, and his awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal and various other personal, unit and service awards. Times of San Diego is an independent online news site covering the San Diego metropolitan area. Our journalists report on politics, crime, business, sports, education, arts, the military and everyday life in San Diego. No subscription is required, and you can sign up for a free daily newsletter with a summary of the latest news.