Commander Denise Kruse will relieve Captain Raymond Chartier as Director of the National Ice Center (NIC), Commanding Officer of the Naval Ice Center (NAVICECEN), and CO-Director of the North American Ice Service (NAIS), Suitland, MD at a ceremony to be held at the U.S. Navy Memorial Heritage Center in Washington, DC on December 16, 2008. Captain Chartier has been Director/Commanding Officer since May 23, 2007. Commander Kruse’s previous assignment was US Naval Central Command /Combined Maritime Force/Fifth Fleet Staff Oceanographer. NIC is a multi-agency operational center operated jointly by the U.S. Navy (through NAVICECEN), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Coast Guard.