Naval Station Great Lakes Sailors unfurl the American Flag during pre-game festivities at a recent Chicago Bears-San Diego Chargers football game at Soldier Field. Enjoy the view......... Bldg 1, home of Commander Naval Service Training Command and Commander Naval Station Great Lakes sits in the forefront as boaters on Lake Michigan enjoy the summer weather at Great Lakes.   Capt. Hobbs takes helm at Naval Station Capt. Hart retires after 37 years service

Capt. Kathryn M. Hobbs, Commanding Officer Naval Station Great Lakes

Hobbs comes to Great Lakes from her previous assignment on the staff of Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) where she served as lead for the Chief of Naval Operations Task Force EXCEL, Strategic and Planning Execution cell. She also served as the NETC N3/N5, Operations, Strategy and Policy.

Naval Station was established in October of 2001 to serve as the host installation command for more than 60 different military and government commands and organizations assigned to Great Lakes. Naval Station has responsibility for the day-to-day base operations management.

Hobbs, a native of Salinas, Kansas, enlisted in the Navy after completing high school in 1973. After recruit training in Orlando, Fla., she was one of the first women to complete Signalman "A" School in the Women in Ships Program. She also completed Personnelman "A" School in Meridian, Miss.

After completing her BA degree during off-duty hours at Columbia College, she was accepted into Officer Candidate School. She rose from the rank of E-1 to E-6 in just four years.

Following OCS in Newport, R.I., she transferred in April 1979 to NSA, Seattle, Washington as the first Navy woman to serve as officer-in-charge of a U.S. Navy Brig. During this tour, she completed her master's degree in education/counseling from Seattle University.

Transferring in 1982, her next assignment was as the administrative officer, Facilities Manager and Public Affairs Officer at Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 30 (VRC-30) at NAS, North Island, San Diego, Calif. from 1982 – 1983. Additionally from 1983-1985, she was VRC-30’s Assistant Maintenance Officer (AMO), holding simultaneously billets as the Avionics Division Officer and Aircraft Division Officer.

Upon detachment in 1985, the captain was an adjunct professor/NROTC Instructor at the NROTC Unit, University of San Diego/San Diego State University. During this tour she was named as the 1989 NROTC Instructor of the Year and was designated a doctoral candidate at the University of San Diego in education/leadership, with a project/dissertation emphasis in Organizational Systems and Design.

Her next assignment was as the flag secretary to Commander, Training Command, U. S. Pacific Fleet from 1989-1991. She was named to Who’s Who Worldwide and awarded the Navy League Award for the Southwestern United States.

Completing this tour, she was transferred and was dual-hatted as executive officer, Fleet Training Unit, Atlantic and Fleet Combat Systems Training Unit, Atlantic at NSA, Little Creek, Norfolk, Va. from 1991-1993.

Transferring in 1993, she was executive officer, Naval Support Activity, Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory from 1993-1994.

Upon transfer in 1994, she became a student at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF), National Defense University (NDU), Fort McNair, Washington D.C.. She earned a master's degree in national strategic resources and was awarded the Antonelli Award for Industry Study Excellence.

Graduating in 1995, Hobbs then transferred as commanding officer, Navy Recruiting District, New Orleans from 1995-1997. Her command was number one in the Southwest District, and for FY97, only one of three commands of 31 nationwide that made all goals/all programs.

She then transferred to Commander in Chief, U. S. Pacific Fleet (CINCPACFLT) in Honolulu, Hawaii from 1997 to 1999. She established the first-ever fleet-level reengineering department; with primary additional duties as Program Manager’s for Pacific Fleet BOS Port Operations; Installation Claimant Consolidation and Regionalization.

In 1999, she transferred to Commander, Fleet Air Mediterranean (COMFAIRMED), Naples, Italy, where she was the chief of staff for COMFAIRMED and Navy Region Europe, with oversight of the headquarters staff and all bases in the Mediterranean AOR.

Hobbs personal awards and decorations include the: Legion of Merit, four Meritorious Service Medals; four Navy Commendation Medals; Navy Achievement Medal; Meritorious Unit Commendation Medal; two Navy Unit Commendation Medals; and many other ribbons/awards.

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