Commander Ryan Andrews was raised in Redmond, Wash. and Wasilla, Alaska, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature from the University of Washington in 2009. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Naval War College where he completed Joint Professional Military Education Phase I.
Cmdr. Andrews enlisted in the Navy in 1999. Following initial training in the Fire Controlman and Aegis SPY-1D training pipelines, he served aboard USS
Fitzgerald (DDG 62) from 2001-2005. In 2005 he separated from the Navy as a Second Class Petty Officer in order to pursue his education. While attending the University of Washington in Seattle, he served for one year in the Washington Army National Guard as a communications technician and forest firefighter. In 2009 he earned a commission through Officer Candidate School in Newport, R.I. and reported to USS
Decatur (DDG 73) in San Diego, Calif. that same year as Administrative Officer. In 2012 he reported to Commander, Destroyer Squadron FOUR ZERO (CDS 40) in Mayport, Fla. as Assistant Future Operations Officer. He completed Department Head School in 2017 and reported to USS
Kidd (DDG 100) in Everett, Wash. as Operations Officer. His second department head tour was aboard USS
Antietam (CG 54), forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan where he served as Operations Officer and Executive Officer. In 2022 he reported to Commander, Carrier Strike Group ELEVEN (CCSG 11) as N1 / Assistant Chief of Staff for Administration & Personnel and Flag Secretary. He is the first Executive Officer of USS
Ted Stevens (DDG 128), which is being built in Pascagoula, Miss. and will be homeported in Norfolk, Va.
Ashore, Cmdr. Andrews served as the Afloat Personnel Exchange Program Officer with the Brazilian Navy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. During this tour he was the Assistant Operations Officer aboard BNS
Almirante Saboia (LST 25).
Cmdr. Andrews is fluent in Brazilian Portuguese. His decorations include the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and various other unit and personal awards.