The Commanding Officer

BIOGRAPHY 

CAPTAIN DALE M. NEES

United States Navy

   Captain Dale M. Nees is the Commanding Officer of the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps Unit at the University of Notre Dame.

A native of Sarasota, Florida, he graduated with distinction from the United States Naval Academy in 1979.  He is a 1985 distinguished graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School earning a Masters of Science Degree in Management (Financial and Material Logistics) and a 1999 graduate of the National Defense University’s Industrial College of the Armed Forces, earning a Masters of Science Degree in National Resource Strategy.  He was also a 2005-2006 MIT Seminar XXI Program Fellow on Foreign Politics and International Relations.

     His operational tours include service in both nuclear attack and ballistic missile submarines. He served as Electrical Officer, Reactor Controls Assistant and Main Propulsion Assistant on USS DANIEL WEBSTER GOLD (SSBN 626), as Engineer Officer on USS SEA DEVIL (SSN 664) and as Executive Officer on USS PASADENA (SSN 752).  Captain Nees served as Commanding Officer of USS HOUSTON (SSN 713) from May 1995 to January 1998 deploying to the Western Pacific and receiving the Navy Unit Commendation.  His last operational assignment was as Commander Submarine Development Squadron Five from July 2001 to June 2003, where he commanded U.S. Submarine Rescue Forces, the Navy’s Deep Submergence Program, and oversaw operations of the Navy’s Research and Development Submarines (USS PARCHE, USS DOLPHIN and USS JIMMY CARTER), as well as tactical development and employment of submarine off-hull sensors such as Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (UUV), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and Special Operational Forces.

     Captain Nees’ shore duty assignments include Material Officer on the staff of Commander Submarine Squadron Three and Deputy Commander Submarine Squadron Eleven. He has also served as Flag Lieutenant to the Commander in Chief, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Allied Forces Southern Europe in Naples, Italy.  During this period he was involved in humanitarian relief efforts (JTF PROVIDE PROMISE) and NATO operations (DENY FLIGHT) in Bosnia-Herzegovina.  He has also served as the Assistant Director, Office of Navy Budget, the Senior Military Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), the Head of Submarine Platforms, Strategic Weapons Programs, Manpower, Policy and Budget on the Navy Staff and most recently was the Department of the Navy’s, Director of Congressional Liaison for Appropriation Matters.  Captain Nees is currently serving as Professor of Naval Science and Commanding Officer of the NROTC Unit at the University of Notre Dame.

     Captain Nees has been awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (Five awards), Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (Seven awards) and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.