06/01/2026
Capt. Chad Trubilla, a native of Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, recently took over as the officer in charge at the Surface Advanced Warfighting School (SAWS), on board Naval Base San Diego, California.
Part of Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC), SAWS is responsible for training the surface Navy’s specialized warfare tactics instructors, serving as the surface fleet’s direct counterpart to naval aviation’s famed “TOP GUN” weapons school.
The assignment marks a professional homecoming for Trubilla, an original “plankowner” of SMWDC who helped establish the elite tactical institution more than a decade ago. Trubilla, an Integrated Air and Missile Defense warfare tactics instructor, was part of the pioneering foundational cohort in 2014.
“Returning to SAWS is a tremendously humbling full-circle experience,” Trubilla said. “To lead the schoolhouse that forged my own development as a tactical officer, and to now guide the next generation of elite instructors, is a profound privilege.”
To read more about Trubilla, visit: https://navyoutreach.blogspot.com/2026/05/tamaqua-native-named-officer-in-charge.html
