A 24-year SEAL has been selected as the right-hand man to the second-in-command at U.S. Special Operations Command, according to a Defense Department release.
Reserve Rear Adm. Daniel "Brian" Hendrickson will serve as assistant to vice SOCOM boss Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas Trask, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jon Greenert announced in the Monday release.
Hendrickson, 49, a 1987 Naval Academy graduate, has served in Naval Special Warfare since completing Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training in 1990.
He left active service for the reserves in 1994, according to Navy Personnel Command records, but has served continuously on active-duty orders since 2002.
He's currently the head of Naval Reserve Special Operations Command Detachment 108 at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, where SOCOM is headquartered.
Beyond his tours with SEAL team and Naval Special Warfare groupons, Hendrickson's joint experience includes joint task forces in the Horn of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and the Philippines, according to his official bio.
He has served in operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, as well as Desert Shield and Restore Hope, in Somalia in 1993.
His personal awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, two Defense Meritorious Service medals, two Navy Meritorious Service medals, the Combat Action Ribbon, Iraq and Afghanistan campaign medals with Bronze Stars, seven Sea Service ribbons and the Colombian Marine Corps Medal.
Meghann Myers is the Pentagon bureau chief at Military Times. She covers operations, policy, personnel, leadership and other issues affecting service members.
