The U.S. Navy held an assumption of command ceremony Saturday to usher in new leadership for the service’s legal branch, according to the Navy.

Navy Secretary John Phelan welcomed Marine Corps Maj. Gen. David J. Bligh as the next Judge Advocate General, or JAG, at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington.

“He is a proven warfighter, a seasoned leader, warrior and patriot of the highest order,” Phelan said, according to the release. “With his selection, a Marine once again takes the helm of the JAG Corps, only the second time in its history and the first since Col. Remey was appointed as the inaugural Judge Advocate General in 1878.”

With his assumption of office, Bligh — who most recently served as staff judge advocate to the commandant of the Marine Corps — becomes the senior uniformed

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