Flag Officer Assignments

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead announced today the following assignments:

Rear Adm. (lower half) Patrick H. Brady, who has been selected for promotion to rear admiral, will be assigned as commander, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, Calif. Brady is currently serving as deputy commander for undersea warfare, SEA-073, Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Thomas H. Copeman III, who has been selected for promotion to rear admiral, will be assigned as chief of legislative affairs, Office of the Secretary of the Navy, Washington, D.C. Copeman is currently serving as commander, Joint Task Force Guantanamo, U.S. Southern Command, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Rear Adm. Philip H. Cullom, will be assigned as director, Environmental Readiness Division, N45, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C. Cullom is currently serving as director, Fleet Readiness Division, N43, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.

Capt. Robert J. A. Gilbeau, who has been selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as commander, Defense Contract Management Agency-International, Fort Lee, Va. Gilbeau is currently serving as deputy commander-aviation, Naval Inventory Control Point, Philadelphia/Mechanicsburg, Philadelphia, Pa.

Capt. Kevin J. Kovacich, who has been selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as deputy director, J35, future operations, U.S. Forces - Iraq. Kovacich is currently serving as deputy director, Naval Warfare Integration Group, N00X, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Thomas J. Moore, will be assigned as director, Fleet Readiness Division, N43, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C. Moore is currently serving as deputy director, Fleet Readiness Division, N43, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Elizabeth S. Niemyer, who has been selected for promotion to rear admiral, will be assigned as director of the Nurse Corps/deputy chief wounded, ill, and injured, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Washington, D.C. Niemyer is currently serving as director, TRICARE Region West, San Diego, Calif.

Rear Adm. Robin M. Watters, will be assigned as chief of staff, U.S. Pacific Command, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Watters is currently serving as reserve deputy commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.