Force Master Chief Petty Officer Tracy Hunt relinquished charge as Navy Reserve Force Master Chief to Master Chief Petty Officer (AW/EXW/IW) Nicole C. Rios during a ceremony aboard Joint Base Andrews, Md., July 18.

Vice Admiral Nancy Lacore, Chief of Navy Reserve and Commander, Navy Reserve Force, observed the ceremonial passing of the cutlass from the 17 th Navy Reserve Force Master Chief Tracy Hunt to Rios, marking the formal transfer of responsibility and signifying the official beginning of Rios’ tenure as the 18th Navy Reserve Force Master Chief.

“Your leadership and your sacrifice deserve to be recognized,” said Lacore while acknowledging Hunt’s honorable 36 years of service and tenure as Reserve Force Master Chief. “For over three decades you’ve served our Navy and our nation with distinction. You’ve always taken the hard jobs. You’ve led from the front. You are a Chief to the core, a Sailor’s Sailor, and someone who would drop anything and everything, day or night to help another servicemember. As our seventeenth Reserve Force Master Chief, you’ve brought warfighting, training and policy experience to the role. You led at a pivotal moment, helping transition the Navy Reserve to focus fully on warfighting readiness.”

The Reserve Force Master Chief serves as the senior enlisted advisor to the Chief of Navy Reserve, focusing on the well-being and readiness of the Reserve Force and providing crucial input on matters impacting the morale, retention, and overall well-being of Reserve Sailors. The Force Master Chief also acts as the voice of the enlisted community within the Navy Reserve, advocating for their needs and concerns. 

Hunt, a native of Meherrin, Virginia, enlisted in the United States Navy in 1989. Following the completion of basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill., he completed Seaman Apprentice Training and reported aboard the USS Avenger (MCM 1) in Charleston, S.C. Hunt was selected to the Command Senior Chief Program in 2009. His follow-on Command Master Chief tours include Navy Recruiting District Philadelphia, and consecutive tours onboard Naval Air Facility, Joint Base Andrews, Md., Navy Operational Support Center Washington, D.C. and Naval Air Facility Washington. He then went on to serve as Command Master Chief, Commander, Navy Reserve Forces Command and was selected as the 17th Reserve Force Master Chief in 2021.

During the ceremony, Hunt thanked his friends and family that have propelled him throughout his career, acknowledged the Sailors that inspired him daily, and praised Rios for her leadership and accomplishments.

“Keep our number one, our number one, and that’s our Sailors,” said Hunt. “Our Sailors and Civilians help bring an unmatched effort to the fight. I hope and pray moral conflict will never
come our way. But I know should the time come, we will answer the call, and we will win. As I step aside, I look forward to seeing Nicki leading the force. She is one hundred percent ready for this job. She is the right leader at the right time.”

Force Master Chief Rios emphasized the importance of overall mission readiness for all hands in the Navy Reserve, and underscored Lacore’s urgent call for the Reserve Force to prepare to meet the urgent demands of a rapidly-evolving and dynamic global security environment. 

“It is with deep humility that I stand before you today and assume this position as the Reserve Force Master Chief,” said Rios. “This moment is a call-to-action. A call to continue serving. To give back to the community that shaped me. And to continue championing the people that are the heartbeat of our Navy—our Sailors. This moment is not mine alone. It belongs to the village that raised me. Every Sailor I’ve had the privilege to serve with has shaped me into who I am today. We move forward with purpose. We do so in alignment with our enduring priorities. Posturing for warfighting, strengthening our warfighters, accelerating and refining the foundation. Our mission must remain focused, flexible, and forward leaning.”

Rios, a native of Springfield, Mass., enlisted in the United States Navy in February 1996. Following graduation from basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill., she
reported to Storekeeper Accession Training in Meridian, Miss. Her shore tours include Naval Reserve Readiness Command Region Thirteen Great Lakes, Ill.; Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Center Providence, R.I.; Naval Air Station Atlanta, Ga.; Recruit Training Command Great Lakes, Ill. and Navy Reserve Center Ventura County, Calif., where she served as the Command Master Chief.

Sea duty assignments include Fleet Logistics Support Squadron Six Two, Brunswick, Maine and Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron Twelve, Williamsburg, Va. where she completed deployments to U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibilities. She is a graduate of the Naval Leadership and Ethics Center CMC/COB Course (Class 160) and
Senior Enlisted Academy (BC53).  She is designated Aviation Warfare, Expeditionary Warfare, and Master Training Specialist qualified.

“She [Master Chief Rios] has been an essential part of our Navy for over three decades,” said Lacore. “From expeditionary missions in Bahrain and Guam, to senior leadership billets in Texas and Norfolk, at every level, at every type of command, afloat and ashore. Her career has been defined by the commitment to the wellbeing of Sailors and their families. She listens, leads and shows up when it matters most. The Navy could drop her into any unit, anywhere in the world and she would find a way to make it work—and that is the very definition of warfighting breadth and depth. And that is exactly what the Reserve Force needs right now.”

Like Hunt, Rios served as Command Master Chief, Commander, Navy Reserve Forces Command in Norfolk, Va., immediately prior to assuming the duties of Reserve Force Master
Chief.

The mission of the Navy Reserve is to provide strategic depth and deliver operational capabilities to the Navy and Marine Corps team, and Joint forces, in the full range of military operations from peace to war. It provides essential naval warfighting capabilities and expertise, strategically aligned with mission requirements — valued for warfighting readiness, innovation and agility.