Born in Oregon, Captain Ettlich grew up outside of Sacramento, CA. He joined the Navy through the Nuclear Power Officer Candidate program in February 1993, while attending the University of San Diego (USD). CAPT Ettlich graduated from USD with a B.S./B.A. in Electrical Engineering in June 1994. He went on to be commissioned through Officer Candidate School in September 1994.

His Junior Officer tour was on the USS ALASKA (SSBN-732 Blue) from February 1996 to June 1999. After his sea tour, he reported to the University of Arizona’s (UA) Naval Reserve Officer Training Command to teach Naval Science courses and counsel prospective officers. While at UA, he transferred to the Engineering Duty Officer (EDO) community and completed a Master’s in Business Administration.

In August 2001, CAPT Ettlich reported to the Naval Postgraduate School, where he received dual Master’s in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. While there, he was awarded the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Award for Academic Excellence in Electrical Engineering. His academic focus was digital network communications and computer design.

CAPT Ettlich completed his EDO qualification tour at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PHNSY&IMF) from 2003 to 2006. He served as Deputy Project Superintendent for the USS HONOLULU (SSN 718) Interim Dry-Docking (IDD), Shipyard Docking Officer, and Surface Ship Maintenance Coordinator.

From 2006 to 2009, CAPT Ettlich served as the Department Head (Planning Officer) for the Planning Department at Naval Intermediate Maintenance Facility Pacific Northwest at Bangor, WA. At the end of his tour, he completed an eight-month Individual Augmentation (IA) with the US Army Corps of Engineers at its Gulf Region Division in Baghdad, Iraq, as a program manager for reconstruction projects.

CAPT Ettlich served as the Repair and Logistics Officer at Commander, Submarine Squadron ELEVEN (CSS-11), in San Diego from June 2009 to June 2011. Following his tour at CSS-11, he transferred to the Naval Sea Systems Command as the Director of Submarine Safety (SUBSAFE) and Quality Assurance, NAVSEA 07Q, from July 2011 to August 2014. From September 2014 until August 2017, he served one year as the Business and Strategic Planning Officer at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility and completed his tour as the Operations Officer. He served as the Military Deputy for Shipyard Operations at NAVSEA in Washington, DC from September 2017 to August 2019. Following his tour in DC, CAPT Ettlich was selected as the 86th Commander of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, where he served until February 2022. He is currently serving as the Director, Fleet Maintenance at U.S. Pacific Fleet.

CAPT Ettlich is authorized to wear the Legion of Merit with one gold star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with two gold stars, Navy Commendation Medal with two gold stars and the Navy Achievement Medal with one gold star.

Last Updated: 23 January 2023