The Navy announced Thursday that it will be renaming the command that handles current and future readiness for combat missions.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle said in a C-NOte that the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command will henceforth be known as Commander, Navy Expeditionary Forces, to more accurately indicate the capabilities of the command.
“The name Commander, Navy Expeditionary Forces better reflects the command’s core responsibility to man, train, equip, certify, and generate expeditionary Sailors and units for employment by operational commanders worldwide,” the message said.
The command will continue to oversee explosive ordnance disposal, maritime expeditionary security, naval construction and expeditionary logistics forces.
Daily operations for the command’s expeditionary units will also be unaffected.
The name change reflects the command’s increased relevance as the service continues to invest in autonomous systems and their ability to be deployed from expeditionary locations, Caudle said.
The command will continue to help the Navy expand its subsea warfare capabilities so that developing technology will soon be able to be deployed fleet-wide.
Commander, Navy Expeditionary Forces will be leveraged to upgrade standards, training, certification, assessment and oversight in order to regularly provide security forces to installations, ports and ships, Caudle said.
Riley Ceder is a Navy reporter at Military Times, where he covers issues directly affecting service members and their families, as well as breaking news.