Mark Mellett

Vice Admiral Mark Mellett, DSM, PhD, served for more than four decades in the Irish Defence Forces, culminating in his appointment as Chief of Staff from 2015 to 2021. He was the first naval officer to hold the position and Ireland’s longest-serving defence chief in more than fifty years. During his career, he commanded at sea and ashore and served in the North and South Atlantic, Afghanistan and Lebanon. He led the Defence Forces’ contribution to Ireland’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and represented Ireland at the European Union Military Committee. He is a graduate of the Royal Naval College Greenwich, the Irish Military Command and Staff College and the United States Naval War College.