New Naval Air Station Fallon leader named

FALLON - While Naval Air Station Fallon's current commanding officer mulls a job offer as Churchill County manager, the U.S. Navy has quietly selected the base's next leader.

Capt. Scott Ryder has been tapped to succeed Capt. Brad Geotsch as NAS Fallon's 31st commanding officer. Geotsch has been at the helm of NAS Fallon since mid-August of 2001, and was recently named top choice for the county manager post.

Ryder toured the base, home of the Navy's Top Gun weapons fighter school, this week to start becoming familiar with its operations. Ryder will officially take charge in a change-of-command ceremony May 21.

"We're happy to have Capt. Ryder aboard, to start the turnover process, said base public affairs officer James "Zip" Upham.

Along with a bachelor's degree from Oregon State University, Ryder obtained a master of science degree in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in 2001.

Ryder has spent much of his 21-year military career in the cockpit of Navy jets, in which he has recorded 3,000 flight hours, 2,400 in the FA-18 Hornet. The captain served aboard the USS Ranger in the Arabian Gulf during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

For the past 2 1/2 years, the 49-year-old captain has worked with the Joint Staff, as chief of the Command Center Operations Division of the National Military Command Center and coordinator of the chairman's continuity of operations program.

"We look forward to a smooth transition and to his leadership in the future," Upham said.

Contact Cory McConnell at cmcconnell@lahontanvalleynews.com