DVIDS – News – CENSECFOR welcomes the new CO

Capt. Joseph Bromley assumed command of the Security Forces Center (CENSECFOR), replacing Capt. Douglas Pegher during a ceremony at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, July 23.

“I am pleased to be here with you today to officiate the change of command of the Security Forces Center as we honor and bid farewell to Capt. Douglas Pegher and welcome Capt. Joseph Bromley,” said Commander, Command for naval education and training, contraaDM. Jeffrey Czerewko.

The change of command ceremony is an old naval tradition. The first official mention of the ceremony in naval regulations occurred during the Civil War, and since then nothing has changed in terms of formality and procedural execution.

The transition of command occurs when the outgoing and incoming officers read their orders to the commanding officers and crew. The two officers then face each other, and the incoming officer salutes and states, “I’ve relieved you, sir” or “I’ve relieved you, ma’am.” The departing officer returns the salute and states, “I’m relieved,” and the seamless transition of command is complete.

“Thank you, Captain Pegher, for your faithful service. You have fundamentally transformed the generation of training and readiness for Sailors in all areas of naval warfare,” Czerewko said. “You and your team developed and executed a curriculum that safely and effectively provided high-risk training for Master-at-Arms, Naval Aviators, Naval Flight Officers and Aircrew, Small Craft Operators, and countless others for to improve the fleet.”

Pegher graduated from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. After working in the commercial sector, he pursued a naval career and earned his commission in 1997.

“I want to thank the incredible team of more than 1,100 Sailors, Marines, Airmen, government civilians and contractors who make up CENSECFOR,” Pegher said in his remarks to those in attendance. “The success we have achieved has only been possible because of hard work, dedication and an unwavering commitment to improvement.”

During his naval career, he served in various operational assignments on various classes of ships such as an aircraft carrier, an amphibious command ship and two destroyers. In July 2021, he became the eighth naval officer to serve as CENSECFOR Commanding Officer.

In the first part of his tour, Pegher’s masterful management of the challenges brought by the global COVID-19 pandemic ensured the continuous delivery of training without interruption, while prioritizing the safety of the health of staff and students.

He oversaw the planning and implementation of the consolidation, alignment and synchronization of Navy small craft operator training. Earlier this year, his team successfully piloted the four-week Small Craft Operator course.

Through coordinated efforts with the US Air Force, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and the Naval Education and Training Command (N4) team, he secured six significant projects to enhance the delivery of relevant Naval Master-at-Arms Ready learning training. Lackland Technical Training Center. Projects include building a mock village, a pier, a ship, and a tactical shooting house.

Under his leadership, the command also achieved Federal Law Enforcement Training Accreditation for its Master of Weapons “A” School and “C” Law Enforcement School. Additionally, he oversaw the successful relocation of Naval Corrections training from San Antonio, Texas to Chesapeake, Virginia.

During his tenure as commanding officer, more than 61,000 Sailors completed one or more CENSECFOR instructor-led courses across the spectrum of counterterrorism, expeditionary warfare, code of conduct, law enforcement, and small craft operations.

“Capt. Bromley, I have the utmost confidence as you take command within minutes and get on with the business of training and educating fighters to maximize their lethality and survivability,” Czerewko said. “Your only task from me is to continue Captain Pegher’s mindset of aggressive self-evaluation and self-correction and continue to pursue perfection in every aspect of the command.”

Bromley is originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He graduated from Old Dominion University (Class of 1998) with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California with a Master of Science in Information Systems.

“Thanks to your dedication and experience, our training detachments and learning sites can produce the trained Sailors needed for a lethal and survivable fleet,” Bromley said as he addressed CENSECFOR staff. “We come to work every day to ensure that we have delivered to the fleet adequately trained seafarers and that they are ready to respond with professionalism and decisive action when needed.”

He served on two Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers, USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) and USS Mobile Bay (CG 53), and two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, USS Gonzalez (DDG 66) and USS McFaul (DDG 74). where he served as executive officer and later commanding officer.

Deployed as an individual booster, he completed a tour in the Counter Improvised Explosive Device Integration and Operations Cell in Baghdad, Iraq. His most recent assignment was to serve as chief of surface capabilities and requirements at US Fleet Forces Command.

Bromley is the ninth naval officer to assume command of the Security Forces Centre.

The Security Forces Center provides specialized training to more than 20,000 students annually. It has 14 training locations in the United States and around the world, each with the motto: “Where Training Breeds Confidence.”