June 01, 2025
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Lake County Journal

New commander at Navy Region Midwest

By NRMW Public

Rear Adm. (Sel.) Tilghman Payne (second left) salutes Vice Adm. Michael Vitale, commander, Navy Installations Command as he assumes the duties of commander, Navy Region Midwest. Out going commander Rear Adm. Anthony Gaiani, (left) looks on. The change of command ceremony took place July 30 on the naval station’s Ross Field. (Photo by)

In a change of command ceremony July 30 on Ross Field, Rear Adm. (Sel) Tilghman D. Payne relieved Rear Adm. Anthony E. Gaiani as commander, Navy Region Midwest.
    Vice Adm. Michael C. Vitale, commander, Navy Installations Command was the keynote speaker.
    Payne arrives at Great Lakes following a tour of duty at the Pentagon as executive assistant to the assistant Secretary of the Navy (Energy, Installations and Environment).
    He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.
    In his remarks Payne spoke of change.
    "As the shore readiness integrators here in the Midwest we must embrace this change and find opportunities to improve the way we do things to increase our efficiency and effectiveness — that's my challenge to the Navy Region Midwest staff. I ask you to anticipate change, adapt to it, even create it, and use it to drive innovation in everything we do."
    Gaiani's next assignment will be as commander, Navy Region Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia and Commander, Maritime Air Forces, Naples.
    In his naval career he served in various leadership positions with VF-102 Diamondbacks', VF-101 'Grim Reapers', VF-84 'Jolly Rogers'. He served as commanding officer of VF-213 'The Blacklions' aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) and USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), serving in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
    Ashore, he has served in leadership positions at Naval Striking and Support Forces, Southern Europe located in Naples Italy, and as Defense Plans to the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, in Mons, Belgium.
    Prior to flag selection, Gaiani commanded Naval Base Coronado, during which time the base was recognized by the President's 'Commander in Chief's Award for Installation Excellence,' as the best base in the Navy.
    Navy Region Midwest includes a 16-state area of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kansas, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Missouri, providing the coordination of base operating support functions for operating forces throughout the region.
    This includes providing expertise in areas such as facilities and land space management, exercise coordination, housing, environmental, security, family services, port services, air services, bachelor quarters and logistical concerns for the thousands of Navy members and their families in the area.