USNH Yokosuka Change of Command

Story by Daniel Taylor

U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka

YOKOSUKA, Japan (June 7, 2024)— Capt. Torrin Velazquez relieved Captain T. Blair Hines as Commanding Officer, United States Navy Readiness and Training Command Center (USNMRTC) and Director, United States Naval Hospital (USNH) Yokosuka during a change of command ceremony held onboard Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, June 7.

Rear Adm. Guido F. Valdes Commander, Naval Medical Forces Pacific, and Director, Defense Health Network Pacific Rim, presided over the ceremony and presented Hines with the Legion of Merit.

“Leading a health care facility is difficult,” said Valdes. It is an assignment that demands exceptional leadership and a deep understanding of our military’s unique health care needs. The challenges faced in providing world-class care to our military community are vast and ever evolving. The execution of patient care, training, research, and operational readiness requires great skill and expertise…Capt. Hines has performed exceptionally with grace and poise.”

“From day one, he focused on the readiness and health of our warfighters and their families by expertly leading a highly trained team of medical experts to deliver world-class care to more than 189,000 eligible beneficiaries across the INDOPACOM area of operations,“ continued Valdes. “He fulfilled the command’s critical role of ensuring a medically ready force focused on expanding expeditionary capacity with our allies in the region.”

Rear Adm. Satoshi Tsukazaki, director of the Japan Self Defense Force (JSDF) Hospital Yokosuka served as a guest speaker at the ceremony and remarked on the relationship between the two military health care facilities.

“We have accomplished many things together, but there are two things that I would especially like to thank Capt. Hines for. First, we were able to move forward with the training on damage control surgery as a joint operational team of Japan and U.S. medical personnel,” said Tsukazaki. ” Second, Capt. Hines and his team developed the Japanese-American Medical Interoperability Partnership Program (JAMIPP) and have started accepting our junior medical personnel to familiarize them with the U.S. military medicine. I am sure that the joint training on damage control surgery and JAMIPP will raise our interoperability to the next level.”

“Capt. Hines, thank you very much for your leadership and your dedication and commitment to promote mutual understanding and interoperability between our two countries,“ concluded Tsukazaki.

Hines a native of Raleigh, North Carolina, previously served as executive officer of U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa prior to taking command of USNMRTC Yokosuka on June 30, 2022. He will report to Washington D.C. for his next assignment with Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery.

“Serving as the commanding officer of USNMRTC Yokosuka for the past two years has been a tremendous honor,” said Hines. I am proud of the Yokosuka staff serving on mainland Japan, in South Korea, and on Diego Garcia for their many accomplishments and mission focus during challenging times. This team has been recognized repeatedly for delivering the highest quality health care to our forward-deployed joint forces. “We have developed deep partnerships with our JSDF colleagues that directly support the U.S.-Japanese alliance and our desire for peace across INDOPACOM. I welcome Capt. Velazquez and his family to Japan fully confident that he will continue the tradition of partnership and reputation of excellence that Naval Hospital Yokosuka has earned.”

Prior to receiving orders to USNMRTC Yokosuka, Velazquez, the 39th commanding officer of USNH Yokosuka and a New Orleans native, served as executive officer at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton.

“I am extremely privileged to take command and to be a part of the legacy of excellence of USNH Yokosuka and USNMRTC Yokosuka,” remarked Velazquez. “With personnel stationed across three countries we support the entire INDOPACOM by providing excellent care when and where it is needed while also ensuring a force that is medically ready to deploy, now. We have always met these missions and will continue to do so.”