Shannon M. Shea

Colonel Shannon M. Shea is a native of Bristol, CT; he enlisted in the Marines in 1995, then graduated from The Citadel and was commissioned via NROTC scholarship in 1998.  His previous tours include both command and staff assignments across the MAGTF, supporting establishments, and joint tours at U.S. Central Command and in the Defense Attaché System.  He is currently serving as the Professor of Naval Science and Commanding Officer of the NROTC Unit at the University of Arizona.

Colonel Shea has served as a commander in both the operating forces and supporting establishments.  As a Captain, he served in the operating forces as a company commander for General Support Company, 8th Communication Battalion, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and as a Major he served as a company commander for Division Communication Company, HQBN, 3D Marine Division, Okinawa, Japan.  In the supporting establishment he served as Inspector-Instructor, Alpha Company, 6th Communication Battalion, Amityville, New York and Series Commander, Charlie Company, and HQ Company Commander 1st Recruit Training Battalion, Parris Island, South Carolina. As a Lieutenant Colonel he was the Inspector-Instructor, 6th Communication Battalion, Brooklyn, New York.

Colonel Shea has also served in several staff assignments.  As a Lieutenant, he served as the S-6 for Marine Aircraft Group–12, in Iwakuni, Japan.  As a Captain he served as the executive officer for Bravo Company, 8th Communication Battalion (OIF 04-06), operations officer for both 8th Communication Battalion and 1st Recruit Training Battalion.  He also served at an individual augment for CJTF-76, in Bagram, Afghanistan as a Plans Officer in the CJ6.  As a Major he served as the operations officer for Recruit Training Regiment, Parris Island and S-6 for 12th Marine Regiment, Okinawa, Japan.

His joint assignments include service as the Executive Assistant to the Commander of U.S. Central Command and Deputy Branch Chief in the Operations Support Branch of the CCJ6.  He recently served in a joint assignment as the Deputy Defense Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest, Romania.

Colonel Shea is a graduate of the Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School (non-resident) and the Marine Corps Command and Staff College (resident), where he earned a Master of Arts in Military Studies.  He earned a Master of Science in Business Management from Troy State University and graduated from Joint and Combined Warfighting School (JPME II).  Additionally, Colonel Shea served as the Commandant of the Marine Corps Fellow at Yale University where he was involved in the International Security Studies Program.