Deputy Commander, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3
Capt. Matthew "Nilla" Wright
A native of Arnold, Maryland, Capt. Matt “Nilla” Wright was commissioned upon graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy in May 2002. He completed rotary wing flight training and earned his wings of gold as a Naval Aviator in May 2004.
Wright’s operational assignments include a Junior Officer tour with Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (HS) 2 aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), a tour as Combat Search and Rescue Officer with Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3 aboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), and a Department Head tour with Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 14 aboard USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). He was honored to serve as the Executive Officer and then Commanding Officer of HSC-22 from 2018-2021 and Commanding Officer of HSC-2 from 2023-2024.
His previous shore tours include service as a Seahawk Weapons and Tactics Instructor with Helicopter Sea Combat Weapons School Atlantic (HSCWSL), a tour in the Pentagon with the Joint Staff’s Nuclear, Homeland Defense and Current Operations Deputy Directorate (J-33), and a tour with Navy Personnel Command as Deputy Director, Aviation Distribution Division (PERS-43).
Wright now serves as the Deputy Commander for CVW-3 as of June 2025.
Wright holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from the U.S. Naval Academy and an Executive Master of Business Administration degree from the Naval Post-Graduate School. He is a joint qualified officer, has accumulated over 2,800 flight hours in four H-60 series aircraft as well as the MQ-8B Fire Scout Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and is a graduate of the SEAWOLF Weapons and Tactics Course. He won the 2022 CNO History Essay Competition and was named the 2023 U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings Author of the Year.