The Navy’s newest chief of naval operations made his first visit to Guam since he assumed responsibilities in August Wednesday, along with the service’s top enlisted sailor.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle and Master Chief Petty Officer John Perryman met with sailors and Navy leadership during an all-hands call at Naval Base Guam.
“Our sailors on Guam are serving on the front line of our nation’s defense and they deserve the very best we can provide,” Caudle said, according to a Joint Region Marianas press release.
“From housing and healthcare to family support and professional development, we are committed to ensuring their quality of life matches the importance of their mission,” Caudle said.
While on Guam, Caudle met with Rear Adm. Brett Mietus, commander of Joint Region Marianas, and other leaders, to discuss the improvement of living conditions of service members stationed on Guam, as well as the Navy’s objective of increasing the number of service members and civilian personnel on the island by 10,000 over the next decade.
Roughly 21,000 people affiliated with the U.S. military currently live on Guam, a U.S. territory that houses Andersen Air Force Base, Naval Base Guam and Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz.
In September the Navy announced an initiative to expand housing capacity by 2,400 housing units to accommodate the expected influx of new personnel.
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Caudle and Perryman spoke about challenges facing the Navy, presented awards to service members, and answered questions from sailors on topics such as housing, training and staffing.
The senior leaders also met with Guam Governor Lourdes Leon Guerrero to bolster the partnership with Guam, discussing “infrastructure resilience, community partnerships and long-term support for service members and their families.”
“Guam stands at the forefront of America’s commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Caudle said, according to the release.
“Our presence here is essential—not just for today’s challenges, but for the security environment we anticipate in the decades ahead.”
Caudle assumed his responsibilities as CNO on Aug. 25, replacing acting CNO Adm. James Kilby, who took over for Adm. Lisa Franchetti after she was dismissed without a stated reason by President Trump in February.
Shortly after becoming the 34th chief of naval operations, Caudle spoke about his priorities for the service in an administrative message shared on X.
He stressed the importance of investing in unaccompanied and family housing for sailors and improving food service by providing healthy meal options to sailors.
He followed up several weeks later with another administrative message that laid out a plan to enhance the technical competence of service members to ensure they were “modernized and battle-ready sailors.”
Perryman was sworn in as the 17th master chief petty officer of the Navy on Sept. 8, and has pledged his commitment to improving barracks, family care and medical care for sailors and their families.
Riley Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.
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