Pembroke native, Bryan County graduate takes command of Navy strike group

by WTOC Staff

SAN DIEGO, Ca. (WTOC) - Rear Adm. Jay Clark, a Pembroke native and Bryan County High School graduate, assumed command of Carrier Strike Group 1 during a ceremony in San Diego on Feb. 5.

Clark succeeds Rear Adm. Amy Bauernschmidt, who served as CSG-1 commander from April to October 2025. Bauernschmidt brought the strike group safely home from a nine-month deployment, where CSG-1 conducted operations in the U.S. 3rd, 5th, and 7th Fleet areas of operations.

Under Bauernschmidt’s leadership, CSG-1 conducted strikes against Iran-backed Houthi targets in Yemen during Operation Rough Rider. These operations degraded Houthi capabilities and disrupted threats to commercial shipping in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Rear Adm. Jay Clark delivers his first remarks as commander of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 1 during an assumption of command ceremony at Naval Base Point Loma, Feb. 5, 2026. CSG-1 includes flagship Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2, Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Cape St. George (CG 71), Zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001), Flight III Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) and the guided-missile destroyers of Destroyer Squadron 1. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nate Jordan)

Bauernschmidt reported to Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, in November 2025, where she now holds the position of director of maritime operations.

“It is a deep honor and privilege to assume command of such an exceptional team of warfighters,” Clark said. “CSG-1 is well known for its discipline and legacy of success, and I am eager to work alongside this exceptional team.”

Clark’s previous assignments include director of the Navy Culture and Force Resilience Office, executive officer and commanding officer of Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Roosevelt, and deputy commodore and commodore of Destroyer Squadron 1. He also served as commanding officer of Afloat Training Group Mayport, deputy director of 21st Century Sailor Office, and executive assistant to Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet.

CSG-1 was established in 1930 and serves as one of five U.S. Navy carrier strike groups currently assigned to the U.S. Pacific Fleet. As the U.S. Navy’s first maritime naval aviation formation, CSG-1 sustains lethal combat forces capable of operating in any maritime area of operations while maintaining naval superiority and readiness.

Carrier Strike Group 1 includes flagship USS Carl Vinson, Carrier Air Wing 2, guided-missile cruiser USS Cape St. George, the Zumwalt class DDG USS Michael Monsoor, the Flight III DDG USS Jack H. Lucas, and the guided-missile destroyers of Destroyer Squadron 1.