WASHINGTON — Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao announced today that retired Vice Adm. Richard Breckenridge has been appointed to the Department of the Navy as the Senior Advisor for Shipbuilding. In this role, he will help guide the Navy's shipbuilding efforts, playing a critical role in revitalizing the nation's industrial base, streamlining acquisition processes, and building the Golden Fleet.

“Admiral Breckenridge’s leadership and expertise, leveraging his vast experience in the Navy and industry, will be instrumental in delivering the Fleet of the future and strengthening America’s maritime dominance,” Cao said.

Breckenridge assumes his advisory role as the department is making crucial investments with industry to invigorate the maritime industrial base and build historic numbers of ships for the Navy and Marine Corps. The recently unveiled U.S. Navy Shipbuilding Plan calls for generational investments in both manned and unmanned ships, including surface combatants, submarines, aircraft carriers, amphibious ships, and auxiliary and combat logistics ships.

A 1982 graduate of the United States Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering, Breckenridge also holds master’s degrees in Engineering Acoustics and Electrical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. His operational career was heavily centered in the submarine community, commanding USS Memphis (SSN 691) during Operation Iraqi Freedom, serving as Commodore of Submarine Squadron 4, and commanding Submarine Group 2.

His key staff assignments included Director of Undersea Warfare (N97), Director of Warfare Integration (N9I), and Chief of Staff for the Joint Staff's J8 directorate. Breckenridge concluded his active service as the Deputy Commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command in September 2015.