Capt. Rob Littman relieved Capt. Josh Appezzato Feb. 19, 2026 as commanding officer of Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana during a change of command ceremony. The ceremony was held in VR-56, the “Globemasters,” Hangar onboard NAS Oceana filled with senior Navy leadership, city officials, family and friends. Rear Adm. Stephen Barnett, commander, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, served as the presiding officer during the ceremony and Capt. Rob Betts, commanding officer of Naval Support Activity Orlando, was the guest speaker.
“You never forgot the true purpose of your installation...serving the Navy’s Strike Fighter Wing Atlantic squadrons,” Betts said. “You put your arms around this installation and tended to every detail, no matter how small. You have lived and breathed NAS Oceana and the surrounding community.”
Appezzato assumed command of the Navy’s Master Jet Base on August 9, 2024. During his tour, he led 19 departments in support of 79 tenant commands, four Carrier Air Wings, and more than 34,000 personnel across NAS Oceana, NAS Oceana Dam Neck Annex, and Naval Auxiliary Landing Field Fentress. Appezzato executed the 2024 and 2025 NAS Oceana Air Shows, which collectively hosted over 680,000 guests from across Hampton Roads and around the world. While in command, he supported Project SEARCH, a program providing on-the-job training to young adults with disabilities. He also assisted the installation's environmental team with its "turtle patrol" program, which surveys and protects the nests of federally protected sea turtles along the Dam Neck Annex shoreline.
During the ceremony, Appezzato expressed his gratitude to the many individuals he had the opportunity to work with as commanding officer, both in uniform and in the surrounding community.
“Serving as Naval Air Station Oceana’s 49th commanding officer has been the honor of my Navy career,” Appezzato said. “Being a part of this community has been the privilege of my life. Truly, no better base, no better place.”
In his remarks, Appezzato highlighted the critical relationship between NAS Oceana and the City of Virginia Beach and presented Mayor Bobby Dyer with a hand painted hook point, representing the strong bond between the two entities.
“The hook point is incredible reliable and strong,” Appezzato said. “These qualities – strength, reliability and trust – make the hook point representative of the bond between NAS Oceana, and the City of Virginia Beach.”
Appezzato, a native of Alameda, Calif., is a graduate of University of Notre Dame, where he was commissioned through the NROTC program in 2000, and was designated a Naval Flight Officer in 2002. Appezzato previously served as a TOPGUN instructor and made combat deployments with VFA-22, the Fighting Redcocks; VFA-154, the Black Knights; and VFA-41, the Black Aces. He also served as the Air Boss on USS George Washington (CVN 73). Appezzato will assume command as commanding officer of Vanderbilt University’s Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps in Nashville, Tenn. Littman takes command as the installation’s 50th commanding officer. He is a native of Montclair, New Jersey, and a 2001 graduate of Pennsylvania State University.
“As I step into my role as the 50th commanding officer of Naval Air Station Oceana, I am deeply humbled by the privilege of leading such a talented and dedicated team,” Littman said. “The Navy often calls our installations the ‘foundation’ of our force, and I believe that’s exactly right. A true foundation must be strong, reliable, and unwavering...qualities we strive for every day.”
Littman earned his Naval Aviator Wings in November 2003 and has accumulated more than 3,000 flight hours and 700 carrier landings in the F/A-18E Super Hornet. He previously served as commanding officer of the “Blue Diamonds” of VFA-146 and was the executive assistant to the commander of Naval Air Forces Atlantic. He served as the NAS Oceana’s executive officer since August 2024.
“He is honest, forthright, and fearless...,” Appezzato said. “I know that I'm leaving Oceana in the best possible hands, [with] someone who cares as deeply as I do about it, with the conviction and wherewithal to see it through.”