The "World Watchers" of Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron (VQ) 1 held a change of command ceremony May 26 at Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island in Oak Harbor, Washington.

Cmdr. Richard D. Payne relieved Cmdr. Matthew B. DeLaBarre as commanding officer of VQ-1 during the ceremony.

A native of Kalamazoo, Michigan, DeLaBarre graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1997. He was designated a naval aviator June 2000 and completed initial training in the S-3B Viking in 2001.

As the commanding officer of VQ-1, DeLaBarre led The "World Watchers" through a rigorous operational tempo, overseeing numerous detachments with various missions supporting commanders worldwide. DeLaBarre's next assignment is to Aviation Tactics and Evaluation Group in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

"I'm happy and grateful that I got a chance to work with some of the best folks in the airborne signals intelligence business," DeLaBarre said. "VQ-1...you all are a class act. You pull off operations and tough logistical movements every week and make it look effortless. The results and intel we've collected over the past year has set the stage for operational and strategic engagements. You should be justifiably proud of your accomplishments; I certainly am."

"To my executive officer (XO) and good friend, Rick Payne," DeLaBarre continued, "Rick, you and Jill have made this tour awesome. I said last year that you were a superstar in the community, and I was right. You were a fantastic XO and will be an even better skipper."

Payne, a native of Pampa, Texas, is a graduate of Texas A&M University and received his commission through Naval ROTC. At sea, his career as a naval flight officer includes two assignments with VQ-1 and USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) as assistant strike officer. Ashore, his duties included an instructor tour at Patrol Squadron (VP) 30, an overseas assignment in Bahrain as the operations officer for Commander, Task Force 57, and in the Directorate of Force Management and Development-Joint Capabilities Training Division for United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). In May 2015, Payne reported to VQ-1 as the squadron's executive officer.

"You are operators and maintainers of the most advanced reconnaissance aircraft in the Navy," said Payne. "There is no other platform in the inventory today that even comes close to the capabilities of the EP-3. You are the most critical capability."

"You are the elite; there is no one else better at what you do and I am proud to serve you as the 53rd skipper of VQ-1," Payne added. "Matt, I'm proud to have had you as my last skipper in VQ-1; [you are] a true mentor and friend. You have successfully led and skillfully guided the largest operational squadron in the United States Navy. You have set the bar high, but I'm confident as I step up to fill your shoes because I've watched and learned from the very best over the past year."

The mission of VQ-1 is to provide airborne reconnaissance and real-time fleet and national support. The "World Watchers" have the distinction of being the only airborne reconnaissance squadron that operates the EP-3 in the U.S. Navy.

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