Former first lady Laura Bush is expected to speak at a change of command Wednesday for the submarine USS Texas based at Pearl Harbor, the Navy said.

Cmdr. Andrew Hertel will relieve Cmdr. Robert Roncska as commanding officer of Texas. The former first lady, a native Texan, is the ship’s sponsor, and has known Roncska since his time as naval aide to President George W. Bush from 2006 to 2008, officials said.

Commissioned Sept. 9, 2006, the $2.7 billion Texas was the second Virginia-class attack submarine constructed. The state-of-the-art submarine is capable of supporting a multitude of missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, naval special warfare involving special operations forces, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.