Dave Welch (admiral)

This article is about the U.S. Navy admiral. For the English poker player, see Dave Welch.

David A. Welch
Nickname(s)	Dave
Born	1961 (age 63–64) Peoria, Illinois[1]
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1987–2021
Rank	Rear Admiral (lower half)
Commands	Carrier Strike Group 15 Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center Surface Warfare Officers School Command Destroyer Squadron 31 USS Chung-Hoon (DDG-93)
Awards	Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit (3)
Alma mater	United States Naval Academy (BS) Naval Postgraduate School (MA) Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Children	4

David Andrew Welch (born 1961)^[2] is a retired United States Navy rear admiral and surface warfare officer who last served as the 74th commander of Carrier Strike Group 15 from June 13, 2019 to June 11, 2021. He previously served as the 3rd commander of the Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center from May 8, 2018 to May 31, 2019, with command tours as commodore of Destroyer Squadron 31 from January 2011 to July 2012 and commanding officer of USS Chung-Hoon (DDG-93) from September 2005 to April 2007.^{[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]} He also served on the staff of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations as Director of International Engagement from December 2017 to April 2018.^[10]

A native of Peoria, Illinois, Welch is a graduate of Limestone Community High School. He received his commission from the United States Naval Academy in 1987, where he earned a B.S. degree in English. He earned an M.A. degree in National Security Affairs from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California in 1994, and was a 2014 fellow in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Seminar 21 program. He and his wife Mercedes have four children, two of whom (sons Benjamin and Geoffrey) are also in the Navy.^{[10][1][11][12]}

He retired from the Navy in June 2021 after 34 years of service.^[5]

Awards and decorations

Royal Thai Navy Rear Adm. Chaiyot Sundaranaga, left, commander of Frigate Squadron 2, and Capt. David Welch, commander of Task Group 73.1, share a laugh before the dedication for a Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Thailand 2011 engineering project.

Surface Warfare Officer Pin
Defense Superior Service Medal		Legion of Merit with two award stars		Meritorious Service Medal with two award stars
Joint Service Commendation Medal		Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with two award stars		Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with two award stars
Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation with two bronze service stars		Navy "E" Ribbon, 4th award		National Defense Service Medal with bronze service star
Southwest Asia Service Medal with bronze service star		Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal		Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal		Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with silver service star		Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)
Command at Sea insignia

References

1. "Journal Star". www.pjstar.com.
2. Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy on Active Duty. Bureau of Naval Personnel. October 1, 1990. p. 143. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
3. "Carrier Strike Group 15 Changes Command". Commander, Carrier Strike Group Fifteen.
4. Affairs, Carrier Strike Group 15 Public. "Carrier Strike Group 15 transitions to new leadership". www.cpf.navy.mil.
5. "Carrier Strike Group 15 Changes Command". DVIDS.
6. "Surface Fleet Lethality: Leadership Transitions at SMWDC". DVIDS.
7. "Leadership Transitions at Surface Fleet's Warfighting Development Center - SMWDC". DVIDS.
8. "DESRON 31 change of command". DVIDS.
9. "Change of command ceremony". DVIDS.
10. "Rear Admiral Dave Welch". www.navy.mil.
11. "RADM Welch returns to Central Illinois, hopes to inspire youth to pursue Naval service". October 29, 2019.
12. "RDML David Welch". www.ndia.org.

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Navy.

Military offices
Preceded by Kenneth L. Williams Jr.	Commanding Officer of USS Chung-Hoon (DDG-93) 2005–2007	Succeeded by James A. Aiken Jr.
Preceded by Richard L. Clemmons Jr.	Commodore of Destroyer Squadron 31 2011–2012	Succeeded by Wallace G. Lovely
Preceded by John F.G. Wade	Commander of the Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center 2018–2019	Succeeded by Scott F. Robertson
Preceded by William D. Byrne Jr.	Commander of Carrier Strike Group 15 2019–2021	Succeeded by James A. Kirk