Rear Admiral Richard P. Synder Deputy Director for Partnership Strategy, J5 Download Hi-Res Image

Rear Admiral Rick Snyder graduated with honors from Tulane University in May 1983, earning a B.S. in Management. He was commissioned in the Navy having completed the Navy ROTC program. In November 1984, Rear Adm. Snyder was designated a Naval Aviator.

Following initial training in the SH-60B Seahawk helicopter, Rear Adm. Snyder served at Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 43, based in North Island, Calif. Subsequent flying tours included duties as an instructor pilot at HSL-40 and as a department head at HSL-46 in Mayport, Fla.

Shore tours included attendance at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., where he earned a M.S. in Operations Research and a follow-on tour as the Navy Analyst for the Republic of Korea/U.S. Combined Forces Command in Seoul, Korea. In Washington, D.C., Rear Adm. Snyder served the Secretary of Defense as the aviation liaison for public affairs and he served as a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council of the United States. Prior to reporting to his current assignment on the Joint Staff Directorate for Strategy and Policy, where he served as Executive Assistant to the Director and Deputy Director for Partnership Strategy, Rear Adm. Snyder served as a Senior Fellow in the Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group.

Rear Adm. Snyder has served at sea in USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) as Navigator and in USS Bataan (LHD-5) as executive officer.

In command, Rear Adm. Snyder served the men and women of HSL-46, HSL-40, and USS Bataan.

Personal awards earned by Rear Adm. Snyder include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (4 awards), and the Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal (3 awards).