Adm. Robert F. Willard, the "dean" of U.S. combatant commanders, relinquished control of U.S. Pacific Command at Camp Smith on Friday amid praise from the nation’s top military leaders for the job he’s done over the past 21⁄2 years.

Willard, 61, who also retired after a nearly four-decade Navy career, passed the command to Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, who commanded NATO forces in Libya enforcing the no-fly zone during Operation Odyssey Dawn.

Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the highest-ranking uniformed military member, noted the importance of the Asia-Pacific region, which he said is "deeply intertwined with our nation’s destiny in this 21st century."

Dempsey said it’s been "a great comfort" to have Willard’s hands "at the helm of this extraordinarily important combatant command."

"He’s been the dean of our combatant commanders, and I’ve quickly come to rely on his advice and his friendship," said Dempsey, who became Joint Chiefs chairman Oct. 1.

More than 500 people from the United States and across Asia and the Pacific attended the command change, which was moved into the cramped commander’s conference room from outside tents because of rain.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta credited Willard’s strategic vision and plain-spoken manner with strengthening long-standing alliances with Australia, Japan and South Korea and building new partnerships with Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.

"This is an extremely important theater, and this is a pivotal moment in history — when America’s future, in many ways, depends on the peace and the prosperity of this very vital region," Panetta said.

Dempsey said Willard and his wife, Donna, were a "perfect fit" for the command.

"The good news is that we’re placing this command into the hands of another extraordinary couple: Sam and Pam Locklear," Dempsey said. "You too have been called here for a reason."

Locklear’s leadership in Europe most recently "expertly working with our NATO partners advanced our efforts to help the people of Libya turn a new and more promising page in their history," Dempsey said.

"I’m extremely privileged to assume this command that is well led, well organized and is a superbly purposed command, a command that has clear strategic intent and clear direction from our nation’s leadership," said Locklear, adding that Willard "masterfully charted a course to help us navigate the dynamic 21st century’s security environment."

Willard, a former F-14 Tomcat aviator whose call sign was "Rat," became head of U.S. Pacific Command on Oct. 19, 2009.

Among Willard’s credits is a movie role: He appeared in and was a consultant on the 1986 Tom Cruise movie "Top Gun," piloting the plane posing as a Soviet Mig-28 that received a midair "salute" from Cruise.

He thanked the soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and special operators who are part of the brigades, strike groups, wings, expeditionary units, platoons and individual deployments that were under his command.

Willard noted that over his tenure, hardly a week went by that he didn’t sign letters of condolence to families who lost a loved one in service to the country.

"I signed seven on Wednesday," he said somberly, "and for that, no words can express what they sacrificed."

Willard has taken a job as president and chief executive officer with the nonprofit Institute of Nuclear Power Operations in Atlanta.