New Dant Announced

Kierkegaard

Kierkegaard

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www.usna.edu

90th U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY COMMANDANT ANNOUNCED

90th U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY COMMANDANT ANNOUNCED page for USNA News Center at USNA.edu. Updated Wed Feb 28 16:00:38 EST 2024.
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Has there ever been a SEAL ‘dant before? Pretty cool. I wonder how this background will shape his command style. My read on SEALs is that their culture and leadership philosophy seem a bit different from the rest of the Navy. They do their own thing. Beards? Why not. And there’s much less of a social divide between the officers and enlisted. I’ll also say that every SEAL I’ve ever met was extremely humble.
 
Hub’s current command has a SEAL for their deputy commander (1 star). Can’t say for sure if it’s him or a generalization of the community but he’s very calm, very humble, friendly but keeps to himself outside of work mostly. Kind…. Good sense of humor. He’s very well known to have the exact same expression on his face when he’s happy, mad, stressed, fine, tired etc etc. From everything I know this seems like a good thing for USNA.
 
I am curious, because I know nothing about it. I think you can be a Naval Special Warfare Officer and not be a SEAL, right?
I don't see anything in this 'dant's bio that unequivocally refers to him as a SEAL. Does he wear a trident? I haven't seen a photo of him in uniform, which I must say is pretty cool. I like this guy's OpSec. :cool:
 
usna1985 said:
The fact he earned a Silver Star says a lot.
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For the ignorant, what does this say about him?

Also, is the Dant position one you apply for? Or are you ‘promoted’ to Dant? Is this a ‘retirement’ position?
 
justdoit19 said:
For the ignorant, what does this say about him?

Also, is the Dant position one you apply for? Or are you ‘promoted’ to Dant? Is this a ‘retirement’ position?
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If it is anything like being a TAC just at a higher level then I would say no. That is just an educated guess.
 
Again, I may not know what I'm talking about but I feel like the Naval Academy is a "last rotation" kind of thing. Not to diminish serving there in the least. I just think that most people who serve there in leadership are at the tail-end of their careers and (if they were a prior MIDN) have looked forward to coming back in the end, to pay it forward a bit.
 
The Dant is NOT a mandated retirement position. In fact, I can’t remember in recent time when the Dant did not select for flag officer and pin on RDML or BGen when they left. Furthermore, the position is selected to…meaning there is a pool for the Superintendent to choose from, which makes it competitive.
 
"The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States."

If you earned one, you did some pretty incredible stuff in service to your country in a combat situation.
 
justdoit19 said:
For the ignorant, what does this say about him?

Also, is the Dant position one you apply for? Or are you ‘promoted’ to Dant? Is this a ‘retirement’ position?
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You are selected to it and it is a very sensitive position so lots of scrutiny and buy-in from their community and (I'm sure) the Supe.
I believe that there has been only one non-alumni Commandant and that was over 40 yrs ago. It is definitely not a retirement position
as just about all of them go on to flag rank while in the job or immediately afterward. There are literally hundreds of O6 jobs in the
USN/USMC but very very few of them if any have as high a selection rate to flag rank.
 
I love his expression in his formal portrait. It looks a bit deer in the headlights. I wonder if this is his normal "every day" expression? I read his bio - very distinguished and has lots of experience! Wow! I know many mids are impressed.
 
THParent said:
I am curious, because I know nothing about it. I think you can be a Naval Special Warfare Officer and not be a SEAL, right?
I don't see anything in this 'dant's bio that unequivocally refers to him as a SEAL. Does he wear a trident? I haven't seen a photo of him in uniform, which I must say is pretty cool. I like this guy's OpSec. :cool:
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I see a TRIDENT:
 

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THParent said:
I think you can be a Naval Special Warfare Officer and not be a SEAL, right?
I don't see anything in this 'dant's bio that unequivocally refers to him as a SEAL
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I believe there are Navy Special Warfare Officer that aren't SEAL designated, including SEAL Deilvery and SWCC --- but this guy is clearly the real deal. (2 Teams, DevGru , Silver Star and 5 Bronze Stars).

As for leadership style, we (or at least the Midshipman ) will see. IMO, most SEAL officers I have know are more reserved, professional, don't seek the spotlight (there are of course a few exceptions) but you certainly don't want to mess with them.
 
Old Navy BGO said:
I believe there are Navy Special Warfare Officer that aren't SEAL designated, including SEAL Deilvery and SWCC --- but this guy is clearly the real deal. (2 Teams, DevGru , Silver Star and 5 Bronze Stars).

As for leadership style, we (or at least the Midshipman ) will see. IMO, most SEAL officers I have know are more reserved, professional, don't seek the spotlight (there are of course a few exceptions) but you certainly don't want to mess with them.
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Ski from our class the perfect example.
 
The Dant position used to be a farewell tour. It was an end of career tour. That changed about 15-20 years ago. Now it’s a spot for a future Admiral who is projected to do big things. Most SEALs are more reserved and quiet professionals. Obviously the last decade plus has challenged that perception, but I think that is being reigned in once again. I know this future Dant and he is one of the quiet professionals.
 
NavyHoops said:
The Dant position used to be a farewell tour. It was an end of career tour. That changed about 15-20 years ago. Now it’s a spot for a future Admiral who is projected to do big things. Most SEALs are more reserved and quiet professionals. Obviously the last decade plus has challenged that perception, but I think that is being reigned in once again. I know this future Dant and he is one of the quiet professionals.
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Most from the 70's/80's went on to stars.
 
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