By Gerardo R. Partido
Variety News Staff

REAR Admiral William D. French will assume command of the U.S. Naval Forces Marianas from Rear Admiral Charles J. Leidig during a change of command ceremony on Tuesday at 10 a.m. on U.S. Naval Base Guam.
French will also assume command of the Navy Region Marianas and will be the U.S. Pacific Command Representative for Guam, the CNMI, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau.
French is reporting to Guam after recently serving as commander of Navy Region Northwest at Bangor, Wash.
Leidig is being assigned as director of the U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Sixth Fleet; plans and operations/deputy commander, Sixth Fleet/commander submarines; and Allied Naval Forces South/commander, Submarine Group Eight at Naples, Italy.
From December 1995 until August 1998, Rear Adm. French served as the commanding officer of the USS Salt Lake City (SSN 716) home ported in San Diego, Calif.
Immediately following his command tour, he served as the deputy commander at Submarine Squadron Eleven and then attended the Naval War College in Newport, R.I. His next assignment was the chief of the Strategy and Policy Division at the United States Strategic Command in Omaha, Neb.