Rob is an experienced combat leader with 30 years of strategic, operational, and tactical assignments which give him a broad view of combined force operations, federal government policy-making, and tactical command of Naval units and specialized forces.
Rob retired in 2022, after a successful 30-year career in the U.S. Navy as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Officer, Deep-Sea Diving Officer, and mine countermeasures expert. Notable leadership positions included Commanding Officer; Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Mobile Unit FIVE, in Guam, responsible for responding to mine countermeasures threats and underwater crises throughout the Asia-Pacific region; Commanding Officer Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit TWO, in Norfolk, responsible for underwater survey, location, identification and recovery throughout the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea; and Operations Officer for Mine Countermeasures Rotational Crew BRAVO, deployed to Japan to assist Japanese and Republic of Korea naval units with the underwater threat of naval mines.
Rob led underwater search and recovery services in Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina, in Vietnam while searching and locating naval sea mines left from the 1970s, and in Japan after the 2011 tsunami. He has been a leader in requirements development; resourcing, and operational employment of the Navy’s expeditionary mine countermeasures systems including unmanned underwater vehicles; diver hand-held sonar; and processing, exploitation, and dissemination (PED) suites for unmanned systems. He commanded the EOD Mobile Unit from 2009 through 2011 in Guam which provided direct support to the JSOTF-Philippines, UXO disposal of the US remnants of war on Caballo Island, and emergency response to the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and US mission in the country.
Most recently, Rob managed the largest commercial UXO/MEC project in the CONUS at the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind farm. Over the course of one full year, Rob and TM remotely “lifted-and-shifted” over 240 pieces of ordnance including 8-16” projectiles, sea mines, satchel charges and rockets, and relocated over 800 pieces of seabed debris using WROVs, A-Frames and 40-150T AHC cranes from six different vessels. Successful completion of this project led to the on-time delivery and installation of all Phase I Monopiles, Export Cables and Inter-Array Cables.
University of Colorado, B.A. (Chemistry)
Colorado State University, M.B.A.
Naval War College, M.A. (National Security and Strategic Studies)