The men and women of VQ-1 said farewell to Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Garner Morgan Jr. May 12 when he passed the baton to Cmdr. Michael Carsley, the squadron’s former executive officer.

The Navy’s largest operational squadron is composed of approximately 100 officers and 450 enlisted personnel, deployed to two detachment sites around the world.

Rear Adm. James Hart, director, Total Force Programming and Manpower Management Division Office of the Chief of Naval Operations was guest of honor and keynote speaker.

He praised Morgan for his exceptional leadership of VQ-1 through his continuous combat mission in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

Morgan assumed command of VQ-1 on May 2005, and has since guided the command to unprecedented levels of operational reconnaissance supremacy. He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his efforts guiding VQ-1. 

Morgan’s next assignment will be in Cuba, where he will serve as the executive assistant. 

Carsley graduated and was commissioned from the U.S. Naval Academy in May 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. Upon commissioning, he began flight training in the summer of 1988 as a student naval aviator.

After completing the advanced maritime pilot pipeline in 1990, he received orders to fly the C-130 with VRC-50 from Cubi Point, Philippines where he participated in Desert Storm. In VRC-50, he held various assignments and completed his tour as assistant maintenance officer with a NATOPS instructor qualification in the C-130.

In 1993, he was granted a transition to the EP-3 and proceeded to VQ-2 in Rota, Spain. While in VQ-2, he attained his warfare designation as an Electronics Warfare Mission Commander flying missions over the Balkans during the Bosnia conflict.

He also achieved an instructor pilot qualification in the P-3. He ended his tour in VQ-2 as the assistant operations officer. In March of 1997, he departed VQ-2 for Naples, Italy.

From 1997 until 1999, he worked for Commander Task Force 67 as reconnaissance officer handling all pertinent issues for reconnaissance platforms to include VQ-2 and special projects units working within the Sixth Fleet area of operations.

Most notably, he assisted in operations planning during the Kosovo conflict and developed new reconnaissance reporting areas in the Mediterranean.

Returning to Spain in 1999, Carsley reported for his department head tour to VQ-2 where he participated in Operation Northern Watch and held positions of officer in charge detachment Souda Bay, assistant operations officer and maintenance officer.

In October of 2001, he returned to the United States and was assigned to Patrol Squadron 30 as operations officer.

While operations officer, he became a Fleet Replacement Instructor Pilot and qualified as formation lead and formation instructor.

In March of 2003, he was assigned to Norfolk, Va., with orders to U.S. Joint Forces Command. While there, he held the position of deputy for intelligence operations, working to transform intelligence at the operational level of war in such areas as counterintelligence and battle damage assessment.

Carsley has logged approximately 3,500 hours in various U.S. Navy aircraft. His awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, three Air Medals (one Specific Action and two Strike/Flight), three Navy Commendation Medals, the Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal.