Lee Bennett enlisted in the Navy immediately following high school in 1987 at the age of 17 and checked aboard his first ship, USS BIDDLE (CG-34) as an undesignated Deck Seaman.  Eight years later, following tours in USS AMERICA (CV-66) and the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard, QM1 (SW/AW) Bennett was selected for commission via the inaugural Seaman-to-Admiral class of 1995. 

Upon graduating from Officer Candidate School and Surface Warfare Officers School, Lee served as the Electrical / Auxiliaries Officer in USS ARLEIGH BURKE (DDG-51) and Weapons / Executive Officer in USS THUNDERBOLT (PC-12).   

In the 3 years between his Division Officer and Department Head tours, Lee graduated summa cum laude from Old Dominion University with a BS in Political Science, was selected as a Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Scholar, and earned a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Harvard University.   

Lee served a double-length Department Head tour in the Forward-Deployed Naval Forces as Chief Engineer in USS COWPENS (CG-63) during which time he received the Navy and Marine Association’s 2006 Leadership Award. 

Following this sea tour, Lee earned a second Masters in Military Operation Art and Science from the Air Force’s Command and Staff College where he won the Dean’s Research Award for U.S. and International Security Studies.   

Lee’s other major achievements include Junior Officer Shiphandler of the Year (four awards), author of the December 1993 ALL HANDS Magazine cover story on how to properly study for enlisted advancement exams, and co-author of a research paper on Colombia’s FARC published in the 2004 Kennedy School Review. 

Lee was recently selected as a Federal Executive Fellow and is currently assigned to the Joint Advanced Warfighting Division at the Institute for Defense Analyses in Alexandria, Virginia.  He lives in northern Virginia with his wife, Angela, and their two sons, Logan and J.T.  He is a lifetime member of the Surface Navy Association and has participated in numerous events over his 20 years of naval service.