CDR Jeffrey Vandenengel

Commanding Officer, USS Illinois

CDR Jeff Vandenengel, a native of Grafton, Massachusetts, is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, where he majored in Chemistry as a Trident Scholar. He holds Master’s Degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Rochester and in Business Administration from Boston College.

At sea, he served as the Executive Officer on USS John Warner (SSN 785), where he completed a deployment to the European Command Area of Responsibility. During his Weapons Officer tour on USS Alexandria (SSN 757), he completed two Western Pacific deployments. Commander, Submarine Squadron Eleven awarded his department the 2017 and 2019 White “W” awards, and Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet awarded him the 2019 RADM Willis Lent Award for tactical excellence. During his division officer tour on USS Cheyenne (SSN 773), he completed one Western Pacific deployment, helped the ship win one Battle “E”, and was selected as the 2013 Submarine Squadron Seven Junior Officer of the Year.

Ashore, CDR Vandenengel served as a Department of the Navy Congressional Liaison to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, responsible for the undersea and classified acquisitions portfolios. He also served as a Strategy and Concepts Action Officer in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV N72), as the Flag Aide for Commander, Submarine Forces, and as a NROTC Instructor at the University of Rochester. His awards include the Navy League’s Alfred Thayer Mahan Award for Literary Achievement, the L.Y. Spear Award as the honor graduate in the Submarine Officer Advanced Course, and the VADM Behrens Award as the honor graduate in Nuclear Power School.