CDR Cameron D. Dennis

Past Commanding Officer, USS Howard (DDG 83)

31 August 2023 Commander Cameron D. Dennis is a native of San Antonio, Texas. He enlisted in the Navy as an undesignated Fireman in 1993 attending boot camp in San Diego, California. Later, CDR Dennis graduated from the Seaman-to-Admiral – 21 Program from the University of Idaho in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Computer Science and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering with a minor in Applied Mathematics. Later, he earned a Master of Science in Applied Physics in the Combat Systems Science & Technology Curriculum specializing in Sensor Systems from the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey, California and is also a graduated of the Naval War College’s Maritime Operations Planners Course (MOPC). 

At sea, CDR Dennis has deployed extensively to the Western Pacific, South China Sea, Indian Ocean, and Arabian Gulf. He served as the Damage Control Assistant and later as the Navigator onboard USS PINCKNEY (DDG 91). Additionally, he served as the Chief Engineer onboard USS GLADIATOR (MCM 11) homeported in Bahrain and later as the Materiel and Combat Systems (N4/N6) Officer with Commander, Destroyer Squadron SEVEN in Singapore. Most recently, CDR Dennis served as the Executive Officer of USS HIGGINS (DDG 76) from August 2021 to September 2023.

Ashore, after attending NPS, CDR Dennis served at the Surface Warfare Officer School Command in Newport, Rhode Island where he helped create and served as the Lead Instructor for the Surface Navigator’s Course. He also served on the staff of the Commander Naval Forces Europe/Naval Forces Africa /SIXTH Fleet in Naples, Italy as the Maritime Fires Chief where he oversaw the integration of staff arrangements that synchronize and coordinate lethal and non-lethal, kinetic and non-kinetic, attributable and non-attributable, dynamic and deliberate fires and target planning. This includes planning special technical operations (SAP/STO), managing integrated prioritized target list development, time-sensitive or maritime dynamic targets (TSTs and MDTs), and TOMAHAWK mission planning in order to create strike packages for firing units to execute.

CDR Dennis’s decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal (four awards), Navy Achievement Medal (three awards) and other personal, unit and campaign awards. He was also selected as Shiphandler of the Year for Destroyer Squadron TWO THREE in 2009.