CDR Matthew Knuth

Past Commanding Officer, USS Cincinnati (LCS 20)

20 May 2024 CDR Knuth grew up in Kansas City, MO, and graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. In 2012, he earned his Master of Arts in Political Science from the University of Missouri-Columbia and his Joint Professional Military Education Phase I from the U.S. Naval War College. 
 
His operational assignments include division officer tours on USS WINSTON S. CHURCHILL (DDG 81) as First Lieutenant, and USS BOONE (FFG 28) as Damage Control Assistant. As a Department Head he served on USS KIDD (DDG 100) first as Weapons Officer and then fleeting-up to serve as Combat Systems Officer. He previously served as Executive Officer of USS CHARLESTON (LCS 18) Gold Crew before then fleeting-up as Gold Crew’s Commanding Officer, and subsequently serving as Commanding Officer during the merge of CHARLESTON Gold and Blew Crews into a single, combined crew. He currently serves as Commanding Officer of USS CINCINNATI (LCS 20), an LCS Training Ship for LCS crews.  
 
Ashore he has served as Instructor/Assistant Professor of Naval Science at the University of Missouri-Columbia; as Deputy Director and later Director of Trainers and Simulators (N71/N3) at Surface Warfare Officers School; and most recently as a Strategic and Operational Planner in the Plans, Policy, and Integration (N5) Directorate, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV) staff.