Command Master Chief
CMDCM Nicholas R. Smith III
Command Master Chief Nicholas R. Smith III was born in Denver, Colorado and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah where he graduated from Alta High School in 1997. He entered the Navy in October 2001 and attended Quartermaster “A” school. Command Master Chief Smith holds an associate’s degree in arts from the Brownsville Revival School of Ministry. Command Master Chief Smith graduated with Class 208 Red from the Senior Enlisted Academy in September 2017.
Command Master Chief Smith’s sea assignments include Assault Craft Unit-1, while aboard LCU-1632 deployed onboard USS Tarawa (LHA-1) in 2003, aboard LCU-1648 deployed onboard USS Duluth (LPD-6) in 2005 and served onboard USS Antietam (CG-54) in 2007, all of which were deployed in the SEVENTH and FIFTH Fleet AORs. Additionally, he PRE-Commissioned the USS William P. Lawrence (DDG-110) and deployed once again to the 7th and 5th Fleet AORs in 2013 and returned to the 7th Fleet AOR in 2016. Command Master Chief Smith served aboard USS Nimitz (CVN-68) as senior quartermaster and deployed in 2020/2021 during the peak of COVID-19, whose deployment and separation from their families lasted for 341 days with Nimitz on their historical patrol which was the longest duration since World War II.
Ashore, Command Master Chief has served as a recruiter and Recruiter-in-Charge (RINC) onboard Navy Recruiting District Denver from December 2007 through January 2011. During his second shore assignment, Command Master Chief Smith earned his Afloat Training Specialist (ATS) and Master Training Specialist (MTS) designations as Navigation Assessor and Departmental LCPO for Deck/NAV/Air/SAR onboard Afloat Training Group Mayport from September 2016 through August 2019. Most recently, he served as the Command Senior Enlisted leader for Naval Support Facility (NSF), Redzikowo, Poland from May 2021 to April 2022. Most recently, he completed a tour at the Naval Academy Preparatory School, from June 2022 to June 2024.
His decorations include numerous team, unit, and campaign awards as well as several individual awards.