Cmdr. Dennis Quick

‘‘I’m loving it!” said Quick when asked his first impressions of NSASP. ‘‘It’s an awesome place and very quiet with the exception of the occasional gun fire. Plus, there are plenty of green spaces and activities to enjoy.”

Those activities include woodworking and fishing as well as hunting opportunities, something that he has wanted to try for a long time.

‘‘Love all kinds of fishing,” he said. ‘‘I would enjoy just throwing a line in from the bank for catfish because I like catching them and my wife loves eating them. But I expect to get a boat soon and try my hand in the river as well...I also want to learn to bow hunt and maybe even do a little duck hunting at Indian Head.”

But most of his focus here, the commander pointed out, ‘‘will be on the job of supporting our tenants and ensuring that they get everything they need from us to do their mission.”

‘‘That’s the important thing,” he said. ‘‘I am currently in the process of meeting with each of the commands supported by NSASP and making certain that they are receiving from us what they need...that’s the reason I’m here.”

Along with the mission of supporting the tenant commands, the South Dakota native says, ‘‘tackling the issues of joint basing as well as quality of life for military and civilian workers” are also on his plate.

‘‘Additionally, the Navy is in the process of reducing its footprint. Much of our current infrastructure was developed in support of the large Navy that existed at the end of World War II. Today’s Navy is smaller and much more efficient but we still have many of the same buildings still in existence. There’s a lot to do,” he said. ‘‘We need to modernize while maintaining the unique capabilities that exist, such as the Navy’s one-of-a-kind CAD⁄PAD facility at NSF Indian Head. When modern facilities are built, we may be able to consolidate activities, eliminating the need for some older structures and allowing for their removal. This process will be time-consuming and funding-driven. It’s going to take awhile and present some unique challenges.”

Quick entered naval service in November 1978 as an aviation fire control technician working on the A-6E Intruder aircraft. He selected for the Broadened Opportunity for Officer Selection and Training (BOOST) program in 1980 and received a scholarship to attend Illinois Institute of Technology where he earned a bachelor’s of science degree in physics. He was commissioned as an ensign from NROTC in May 1986.

Quick’s sea tours have included Division Officer duties on USS Constellation (CV-64) from 1987 to 1989, boilers officer and main propulsion assistant on USS Harold E. Holt (FF-1074) from 1989 to 1991, engineering officer on USS Kalamazoo (AOR-6) from 1995 to 1996 and main propulsion assistant on USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) from 1998 to 2001.

Ashore, Quick attended Navy Postgraduate School from 1992 to 1995, earning a master’s degree in applied physics. From 1996 to 1998 he served as a steam plant inspector for the Pacific Fleet Propulsion Examining Board. In 2001 he reported to the OPNAV staff in Washington D.C. as the resource sponsor for RDT&E Target and Threat Simulator Development where he served until April 2004. The next six months were spent as a student at the Defense Language Institute, Monterey, Calif., where he studied Portuguese prior to reporting, in January 2005, as the Navy section chief, U.S. Military Liaison Office, Brasilia, Brazil. He served in this position until December 2007. Quick reported on board NSA South Potomac this month.

Quick’s decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal (with 3 gold stars), Navy Achievement Medal (with 2 gold stars) and various service and campaign awards.

Quick is married to the former Diane Gottschalk of Lowden, Iowa. They have three grown children. The couple resides on base at Naval Support Facility Dahlgren.