Commander John Witte

Commanding Officer, Undersea Rescue Command

A native of Omaha, NE, Captain Witte graduated from Iowa State University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science in Food Science. He also completed a Master of Engineering Management from Old Dominion University and a Master of Science in Joint Campaign Planning and Strategy from the Joint Forces Staff College.

His Division Officer tour was onboard USS ALBUQUERQUE (SSN 706) in Groton, Conn., where he completed an Engineered Refueling Overhaul and Arabian Gulf deployment. The ship earned the COMSUBRON TWO Battle Efficiency “E” Award in 2003.

Witte’s Department Head tour was onboard USS MICHIGAN (SSGN 727) (GOLD) in Bangor, Wash., where he served as the Engineer Officer. MICHIGAN completed two Western Pacific Deployments and earned the COMSUBRON NINETEEN Engineering “E” Award in 2009.

His next sea tour was as the Executive Officer (and Plank Owner) onboard USS MINNESOTA (SSN 783) in Norfolk, Va., where he led the crew through initial construction, sea trials and commissioning.

During his time as the Commanding Officer of USS ANNAPOLIS (SSN 760) in San Diego, Cali., the ship completed two Western Pacific Deployments and was awarded the COMSUBRON ELEVEN Battle Efficiency “E” Award in 2020.

His shore tours include serving at COMSUBRON ONE in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, U.S. Fleet Forces Command Nuclear Propulsion Examining Board, the Joint Enabling Capabilities Command in Norfolk, Va., and most recently as the Deputy Commander for Training at COMSUBRON ELEVEN in San Diego.