Naval officers selected for command at sea

Lieutenant Commanders Joseph Mitzen and Chad Trubilla were recently chosen by the Naval Surface Warfare Community's Command-at-Sea Board of Selection for future command at sea of a naval warship.

The Command-at-Sea Qualification is a rigorous process comprised of career milestones and examinations both written and before a selection board, assessing the tactical, seamanship, and command management acumen of eligible officers.

An officer's record of career performance and work history are likewise prominent decision-weighted factors. With a historical 20 percent selection rate, both Mitzen and Trubilla were selected in their first year of eligibility out of a pool of 254 possible promotion year group candidates.

The navy recognizes Command at Sea as, "the most difficult and demanding assignment in the Navy. There is not an instant during his tour as a commanding officer that he can escape the grasp of command responsibility. In each ship there is one man who, in the hour of emergency or peril at sea, can turn to no other man. It is a duty which most richly deserves the highest, time-honored title of the seafaring words: captain."

LCDR Mitzen is assigned to the Pentagon within the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations billeted as the Surface Strike and Tomahawk Requirements Officer. He is a 1997 Marian Catholic and 2001 U.S. Naval Academy graduate. He resides in Arlington, Va. with his wife Kelly and three children Benjamin, Julia, and Noelle and is the son of Michael and Joanne Mitzen of Jim Thorpe.

LCDR Trubilla is appointed to the staff of Vice Admiral Kenny Floyd, Commander U.S. THIRD Fleet as the Deputy Executive Assistant in San Diego. He is a 1997 Tamaqua Area and 2001 U.S. Naval Academy graduate. He resides in Oceanside, Calif. with his wife Carole, son Nicholas "Bear," and another son due in July. He is the son of Nicholas and Irene Trubilla of Hometown.