Antarctic Squadron Under New Leader

The Point Mugu Navy station’s antarctic squadron welcomed a new commanding officer Friday in a formal change-of-command ceremony at the naval air station.

Cmdr. William F. Warlick III, who served as the Antarctic Development Squadron’s second-in-command for the past year, replaced Cmdr. William B. Stedman, who was transferred to a management post at the Pentagon.

For the past year, Stedman has directed the 339-man squadron, whose main responsibility is to help the National Science Foundation conduct research.

Each year, between October and February, the squadron carries more than 2,000 passengers and 2 million tons of cargo to Antarctica. It then spends the summer and spring at Point Mugu preparing for the next mission.

Stedman, who is a pilot, led the Mugu squadron to several Pacific Fleet awards for safety and battle efficiency.

Warlick began his career as a Navy pilot in 1980, after completing the Aviation Officer Candidate program. He has a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from North Carolina State University.

Taking Warlick’s position as executive officer is Cmdr. David W. Jackson, who has most recently worked in navigation and space operations at the U.S. Space Command Center.