The current commander of U.S. ships in Europe and Africa has been nominated to lead the Navy’s Fleet Forces Command, the Pentagon announced on Monday.
Vice Adm. Philip Davidson is the current commander of U.S. 6th Fleet which is the Navy’s operational arm in Europe and Africa working with U.S. European Command (EUCOM). He’s served in the position since October.
If approved, Davidson will oversee the implementation of the Fleet Force’s Optimized Fleet Response Plan (O-FRP). The plan will align deployments of Carrier Strike Group into a 36-month training and deployment cycle resulting in eight-month deployments for CSGs. Under the current plan, the new O-FRP will begin in Fiscal Year 2015.
Davidson is a career surface warfare officer who commanded guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG-64) and frigate USS Taylor (FFG-50). He also commanded Carrier Strike Group Eight and the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (CSG) in 2010.
On shore, Davidson served as, “Director, Maritime Operations, U. S. Fleet Forces Command in 2012 and 2013, the senior military advisor to the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (SRAP) at the State Department in 2011, and the deputy director for Strategy and Policy in the Joint Staff/J-5 from 2007 to 2009,” according to his official bio.
He is a 1982 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Naval War College.
Pending Senate approval, Davidson will replace outgoing Fleet Forces commander Adm. William Gortney — who is in line to take over U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM).
