Navy Establishes Seabee Training and Evaluation Unit (STEU) 1 to Drive Pacific Force Readiness
The U.S. Navy officially commissioned Seabee Training and Evaluation Unit (STEU) 1 during a ceremony on board Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC), Port Hueneme, Calif., Oct. 16.
STEU 1, which was administratively established May 1, 2026, by the Chief of Naval Operations, serves as the premier training and evaluation authority for all Pacific Fleet Naval Construction Force (NCF) commands organized under Naval Construction Group (NCG) 1.
The stand-up of STEU 1 represents a strategic realignment under Navy Force Design to optimize readiness, formalize pre-deployment qualifications and preserve critical expeditionary engineering billets across the Pacific theater.
U.S. Navy Capt. Andrew Litteral, commodore, NCG 1, served as the presiding officer and emphasized the strategic importance of the new command.
“In today’s contested global security environment, readiness is our strongest deterrent and our decisive edge if deterrence fails,” Litteral said. “When our Seabee Battalions and Underwater Construction Teams deploy downrange, they cannot afford a learning curve. They operate in austere, distributed, and expeditionary environments where the margins for error are nonexistent. That is precisely why STEU 1 is standing up today.”
During the ceremony, U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Gerard Ramoutar read his official orders and formally assumed command as the commanding officer of STEU 1. The unit's newly designed colors, featuring heraldry designed by Seabee Master Chief Ryan Sweet, were officially unfurled, followed by the setting of the command's first official watch.
"Today marks a pivotal milestone for our Pacific Seabees," Ramoutar said upon assuming command. "Our mandate is clear: build and sustain combat-ready units of action that can execute expeditionary logistics, airfield damage repair and tactical defense under the most demanding conditions. STEU 1 stands ready to deliver that training and ensure our forces are certified to win."
Under its approved mission, STEU 1 develops and delivers advanced combat and technical skill sets to NCF units, validating their capabilities throughout the Optimized Fleet Response Plan cycle prior to deployment across the Indo-Pacific area of operations.
STEU 1 is headquartered at NBVC Port Hueneme and as a subordinate command of NCG 1, operates as part of Navy Expeditionary Forces, which enables unimpeded access and movement, expeditionary logistics and construction to support and reinforce maritime lethality across all domains and naval, joint, and combined operations.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
