Under the command of Captain Austin W. Duff, Commanding Officer, Officer Training Newport, 110 Students in Officer Candidate School, Class 07-26, at Officer Training Command Newport, participate in their graduation ceremony at Naval Station Newport. Rear Admiral T. J. Zerr, Commander, Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center, United States Navy, attends as the guest speaker for this event, February 27, 2026.
Rear Adm. T. J. Zerr, a native of Denver, Colorado, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science in Honors Economics. He later earned a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of Business, majoring in finance, organizational management, and human relations.
Rear Adm. Zerr’s sea tours include USS Princeton (CG 59), USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), USS Decatur (DDG 73), USS Nimitz (CVN 68), and USS Kidd (DDG 100). He commanded USS Kidd, leading an independent deployment to the Asia-Pacific that earned the Battle Efficiency Award. He later served as Deputy Commander and Commander of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 21.
Ashore, Rear Adm. Zerr has served as Executive Assistant to the Deputy of Naval Reactors at the Washington Navy Yard; Director of Defense Policy and Strategy on the National Security Council at the White House; Branch Head for Policy, Doctrine, and Advanced Concepts (N5) at Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC) Headquarters; Commander’s Action Group Director for Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet; Deputy Commander of SMWDC; and Chief of Staff, Naval Surface Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet.
In April 2025, Rear Adm. Zerr assumed the role of Commander, Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center.
Learn the benefits of a Naval career. For more information, TEXT: "FLOC" to 764764 or CALL: 1-800-USA-NAVY (872-6289) (U.S. Navy photo by Eugene Haynes IV, Officer Training Command Newport).
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| Date Taken: | 02.27.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 03.04.2026 07:03 |
| Photo ID: | 9542818 |
| VIRIN: | 260227-D-MO673-2406 |
| Resolution: | 6000x4000 |
| Size: | 4.47 MB |
| Location: | NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 2 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Nurturing the Leaders of Tomorrow: Rear Admiral T. J. Zerr at Officer Training Command Newport [Image 10 of 10], by Eugene Haynes, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.