Cmdr. Aaron Helgerson
Commanding Officer, USS Billings (LCS 15), Blue Crew
24 February 2021
CDR Aaron Helgerson is currently the Commanding Officer for Billings Blue. He assumed command in April 2020 after serving as the Executive Officer. Prior to this assignment he served as a Theater Air and Missile Defense Officer in the Operations Directorate of U.S. Central Command from August 2014 to March 2017.
A native of Freeman, South Dakota, Commander Helgerson enlisted in the Navy in January 1995 and was selected for the Enlisted Commissioning Program in 1999. He received his BA in Political Science and commissioning from the University of Nebraska in 2001.
His previous sea duty assignments include: Aegis Fire Controlman in USS Lake Erie (CG 70); Electronics Material Officer, Communications Officer, Fire Control Officer, and Navigator in USS Chosin (CG 65); and Weapons Officer, fleeting up to Combat Systems Officer in USS Hue City (CG 66). He has deployed multiple times to the Fifth Fleet Area of Operations in support of Operations IRAQI and ENDURING FREEDOM.
Shore assignments include: Division Officer Instructor at Surface Warfare Officers School, where he completed the GEV program, earning a Masters of Science in Management from Salve Regina University; Integrated Air and Missile Defense Analyst in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, N00X Naval Warfare Integration Group, and the Sea Shield Branch, N81 Assessment Division; and Theater Air and Missile Defense Officer in the Operations Directorate of U.S. Central Command.
Commander Helgerson’s awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal (3), and the Navy Achievement Medal (4), as well as various unit awards.