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New boss takes over special warfare command

SAN DIEGO — The Navy’s commando community on Friday welcomed a seasoned combat veteran to lead the force of Navy SEALs and special boat operators.

Rear Adm. Edward G. Winters assumed the helm of Naval Special Warfare Command during a morning ceremony at its oceanfront headquarters at Naval Amphibious Base in Coronado, Calif. The command includes more than 8,300 active-duty and Reserve personnel, including Navy SEALs and special warfare combatant craft crewman operators.

Winters, 52, relieved Rear Adm. Garry J. Bonelli, who resumed his prior position as the deputy commander. Bonelli, a reservist and Vietnam veteran, had assumed command June 21 when then-commander Rear Adm. Joseph D. Kernan left for his current position as the U.S. 4th Fleet commander in Mayport, Fla.

Adm. Eric T. Olson, who commands the Tampa, Fla.-based U.S. Special Operations Command, attended the ceremony and spoke about naval special warfare’s role in ongoing operations. Olson last year became the first Navy SEAL to lead the joint commando force.

“The successes against al-Qaida in Iraq are due in no small part to the talent, professionalism, the dedication, the tenacity and the operational flexibility of this great force,” Olson told the audience, according to a news release issued by the command.

Winters graduated from Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Class 112 and began his career in 1981 with Underwater Demolition Team 22. He then became a plankowner with SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 2, according to his official biography. Over his career, he’s held several billets with U.S. Special Operations Command and Joint Special Operations Command.

He served as executive officer, and later commander, of SEAL Team 4 and commanded Naval Special Warfare Development Group, according to his biography. His operational tours included deputy commander and commander of Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and he served with joint task forces supporting Operation Enduring Freedom and most recently commanded the Iraqi National Force Counterterrorism Force Transition Team.