17 Facts About Mark Mellett

Vice Admiral Mark Mellett, DSM, is a retired Irish Naval Service vice admiral and was Chief of Staff of Ireland's Defence Forces from September 2015 until September 2021.

Mark Mellett is from Castlebar, County Mayo, and joined the Irish Naval Service in November 1976 having served in the then FCA, 5th Motor Sqn, before being appointed as a Commissioned Officer after a two-year cadetship where he studied at the Cadet School Military College in the Curragh Camp, County Kildare, Cadet School Naval College Haulbowline, Cork in Ireland, and at Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, England.

Mark Mellett became the second Naval Service officer recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal in 1994 as Captain of the LE Orla for its role in the detention of drug smuggling craft.

Mark Mellett received citations for his service in both Lebanon and Afghanistan.

Mark Mellett has served as Commandant of the Naval College and Associate Head of the National Maritime College of Ireland.

Mark Mellett was the Officer Commanding Naval Operations Command at Naval Headquarters, Haulbowline Naval Base, Cork Harbour prior to his appointment as Flag Officer Commanding the Naval Service in January 2011, holding the rank of Commodore.

In November 2013, Mark Mellett was announced as Deputy Chief of Staff, Support at Defence Forces Headquarters by the Department of Defence, promoted to the rank of Rear admiral, and becoming the highest ranking Naval Service officer in the history of the state at the time.

On 29 September 2015, Mark Mellett took over from Lieutenant general Conor O'Boyle as Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces when Lt Gen O'Boyle retired.

Mark Mellett was nominated for the position by Minister for Defence Simon Coveney, approved by the Irish government and appointed by the President of Ireland, who is the Supreme Commander of the Defence Forces.

Mark Mellett made Irish military history in becoming the first Defence Forces Chief of Staff from outside the branch of the Army, promoted to the rank of Vice admiral, the naval equivalent of an Irish Army Lieutenant general.

Mark Mellett holds a PhD in Political Science in Governance from NUI Galway and a Master of Commerce in Government and Public Policy from University College Cork.

Mark Mellett is a distinguished graduate of the United States Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island, where he was the top graduate of the thirty two attending countries.

Mark Mellett was the top graduate in both the Irish Command and Staff College and the Royal Naval College, Greenwich.

Mark Mellett has been a visiting professor at the Centre for Applied Research in Security Innovation at Liverpool Hope University, and has published in the areas of security, innovation and governance.

Mark Mellett is a published research member of the European Security Research Innovation Forum.

Mark Mellett is a founding member of the Irish Maritime and Energy Resource Cluster, an institutional cluster encompassing University College Cork and Cork Institute of Technology.

Mark Mellett is said to be interested in physical fitness, including running, cycling and gym work.