Cmdr. Emily Royse became the first woman warfare tactics instructor to command at sea when she took command of USS Rushmore (LSD 47) in 2021 after serving as the ship’s executive officer and fleeting-up. Royse enlisted in the Navy in 1992 as an electronics technician. Selected for the Seaman-to-Admiral program, she was commissioned in 2003 after graduating from Old Dominion University.

Last Updated: 29 March 2023