Russell L. Smith


Russell L. Smith is a United States Navy sailor who serves as the 15th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy. He was acting MCPON from June 22, 2018, when Steven S. Giordano resigned, to August 29, 2018, when he officially assumed the role.

Naval career

Smith is a graduate of the United States Navy Senior Enlisted Academy and the Command Master Chief/Chief of the Boat Course at the Naval War College.
Smith reported to Recruit Training Center San Diego, California, in September 1988, and began his career as a seaman. He became a weapons technician in 1990, then converted to the intelligence specialist rating in 1993. He was selected for the command master chief program in 2007.
Smith's sea duty assignments include, SEAL Team Four,, two tours on, and as the command master chief on.
Smith had six shipboard deployments to the western Pacific and Central Command area of responsibility in support of operations Desert Storm and Desert Fox, a 292-day combat deployment during operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, disaster relief operations in Indonesia and counter-piracy operations in the Horn of Africa. He also served on numerous deployments and detachments while attached to Naval Special Warfare and Defense Intelligence Agency elements.
Smith's shore tours include service as the operations non-commissioned officer at the United States Defense Attaché Office in Moscow, Russia; on the Chief of Naval Operations' staff as the senior enlisted for the intelligence community; as the CMC for the Office of Naval Intelligence; as the OPNAV Staff's command master chief in Washington, DC; and most recently as the United States Naval Academy's command master chief in Annapolis.

Awards and decorations