Mark Mellett

Vice Admiral Mark Mellett, DSM (; born 4 November 1958), is a retired Irish Naval Service vice admiral and was Chief of Staff of Ireland's Defence Forces from September 2015 until September 2021.

Military career Mark Mellett is from Castlebar, County Mayo, and joined the Irish Naval Service in November 1976 having served in the then FCÁ (Army Reserve), 5th Motor Sqn (modern-day Cavalry Corps), before being appointed as a Commissioned Officer after a two-year cadetship where he studied at the Cadet School Military College in the Curragh Camp, County Kildare, Cadet School Naval College Haulbowline, Cork in Ireland, and at Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, England.

His first command was of the LÉ Orla in 1991, he subsequently commanded the LÉ Ciara in 1997 before commanding the Irish Naval Service flagship, LÉ Eithne, in 2005. He became the second Naval Service officer recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) in 1994 as Captain of the LÉ Orla for its role in the detention of drug smuggling craft.

Mellett is a qualified navy diver and former member of the specialist Naval Service Diving Section (NSDS). He received citations for his service in both Lebanon and Afghanistan.

Mellett has served as Commandant of the Naval College and Associate Head of the National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI). As flag officer, his vision was to transform the Irish Naval Service into the "smartest, most innovative and responsive" navy in the world.

In November 2013, Mellett was announced as Deputy Chief of Staff, Support (D COS Sp) at Defence Forces Headquarters by the Department of Defence, promoted to the rank of Rear admiral, and becoming the highest ranking Naval Service officer in the history of the state at the time. approved by the Irish government and appointed by the President of Ireland, who is the Supreme Commander of the Defence Forces. Mellett made Irish military history in becoming the first Defence Forces Chief of Staff from outside the branch of the Army, promoted to the rank of Vice admiral, the naval equivalent of an Irish Army Lieutenant general.

Mellett retired from the Defence Forces in September 2021, with Seán Clancy taking over as Chief of Staff. He was also the top graduate in both the Irish Command and Staff College (1998) and the Royal Naval College, Greenwich (1989).

Mellett is a Fellow of the Nautical Institute (FNI). He has been a visiting professor at the Centre for Applied Research in Security Innovation (CASI) at Liverpool Hope University, and has published in the areas of security, innovation and governance. Mellett is a published research member of the European Security Research Innovation Forum (ESRIF).

He is a founding member of the Irish Maritime and Energy Resource Cluster (IMERC), an institutional cluster encompassing University College Cork and Cork Institute of Technology (CIT). The aim of IMERC is to enhance Defence Forces capability while facilitating innovation, transformation and job creation in the private sector.

Mellett was appointed as an adjunct professor of law at University College Cork (UCC).

Personal life Mellett is married with four children. He is said to be interested in physical fitness, including running, cycling and gym work.

Ranks held US SECNAV Ray Mabus, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Martin Dempsey, US Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert and Taoiseach Enda Kenny with VADM Mark Mellett

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