Naval Support Activity Monterey welcomes a new commanding officer.

Capt. Ryan Easterday has officially taken over command of the Naval Support Activity Monterey, home to the Naval Postgraduate School and 14 other tenant commands, as of Dec. 5, NSAM officials announced. He takes over from Capt. Robert Smith.

Easterday is a native of Davis, who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in history. His naval career has included numerous assignments at sea and ashore, with 16 cumulative years overseas.

He's a graduate the Advanced Command and Staff Course at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom's Joint Services Command and Staff College. He holds master's degree in Defence Studies from King's College, London and was the U.S. Navy Hudson Fellow at the University of Oxford during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Before coming to NSAM, Easterday was at the North American Aerospace Defense Command's Joint Operations Center, where he served as a command center director. 

"I am honored and humbled to be assuming command of [NSAM] and I am grateful for the opportunity to carry on its role as stakeholder and force for good in the Monterey Peninsula's community," Easterday said in a press release.

"I am eager to work with all of our teammates and partners to enable the important missions of our tenant commands, such as the Naval Postgraduate School, and to continue our long tradition of participation in the broader community here."

Smith is returning to his native Virginia where he will officially retire during a ceremony at Naval Air Station Oceana, nearly 39 years after he first joined the Navy in 1987.