About Us

Rear Admiral Mark Balmert (Ret.) presently serves as the President and CEO of the San Diego
Military Advisory Council (SDMAC), a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization established in 2004.

During his more than 30-year Navy career, Rear Adm. Balmert served at sea aboard the USS
Lynde McCormick (DDG 8), USS Fife (DD 991), and USS Merrill (DD 976). He commanded USS
Chandler (DDG 996) winning the Battle Efficiency Award, commanded Destroyer Squadron
Seven during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, serving as Sea Combat
Commander for the Constellation Battle Group, and was the first commander of Expeditionary
Strike Group Three where he deployed to Fifth Fleet. He also served at sea as Assistant Surface
Operations Officer for Commander 7th Fleet, Flag Secretary for Commander 3rd Fleet, and
Operations Officer for Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Group One.

His Navy shore assignments include Plans Officer at United Nations Command Seoul, Korea;
Surface Commander Assignments Branch Head in Millington, Tennessee; Chief of Staff for
Commander Naval Surface Force U.S. Pacific Fleet; and Operations Division Director in the Navy
Budget Office.

Upon retiring from the Navy in 2009, he became the director of strategic planning and business
development for AMSEC, a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman and later a subsidiary of
Huntington Ingalls Industries. In 2014, he joined BAE Systems as a program manager for San
Diego Ship Repair. He served on the board of directors at SDMAC for many years and was the
president of the board before becoming the SDMAC executive director in 2018, and then the
president and CEO in 2020.

Rear Adm. Balmert earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from the
University of Notre Dame and was commissioned as an Ensign through the Navy ROTC
Program. He earned a master’s degree in financial management from the Naval Postgraduate
School and completed the National Securities Management Course at the Maxwell School of
Citizenship at Syracuse University.