YOKOSUKA, Japan - Butler native Jonathan Greenert has taken command of the Navy's 7th Fleet.

Greenert, a 1971 Butler High School graduate, was promoted to the rank of vice admiral Aug. 6 and assumed command of the fleet during a ceremony aboard the USS Coronado in Japan.

Greenert assumes command from Vice Admiral Robert Willard, who is going on to report to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington, D.C., where he will serve as the force structure director.

Prior to Greenert's latest assignment, he served as rear admiral for the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

Contacted Wednesday in Japan, Greenert said it is an honor and a privilege to take command of the fleet.

"On any given day out here, you have about 30 ships, 200 aircraft and 20,000 people out here," Greenert said. "So I would call it a big deal."

The promotion gives Greenert a three-star ranking and control of the Navy's largest fleet.

The area the fleet patrols stretches from the International Date Line through Africa, Greenert said.

The fleet includes 19 ships permanently assigned to patrol off the coast of Japan - including 70 airplanes, two guided missile cruisers, two destroyers and three submarines.

Another 12 ships in the fleet do not actively patrol.

Greenert said he has a staff of 200 to help him run the fleet. All of them serve the USS Blue Ridge, which is anchored about 25 miles off the Japanese coast.

As part of his job, Greenert is responsible for assigning ships, protecting South Korea and keeping the peace and security between China and Taiwan.

"Basically, we're the Naval portion of the South East Asian war on terror," he said.

Greenert said his goals include helping the South Koreans and Japanese maintain their own defense, which is now provided by the United States.

"Our goal is to help improve our inner operability with them," Greenert said. "It's important they start taking more charge of their own defense in the area."

Greenert said being sent to that part of the world - where tensions have been boiling for more than 50 years - is a big responsibility and a relevant issue in today's world. He has made it his personal mission to help this part of the world maintain its own peace and order.

He plans to use his experience from the military, along with the values he learned while growing up, to help him accomplish his new tasks.

"You take what you learned from growing up and from high school, and you apply it to real life," he said. "I'm very proud of being from Butler."