The Executive Officer (XO) is second-in-command and serves as the day-to-day manager of the over 80 Marines. The XO is typically responsible for the management of day-to-day activities, such as administration, maintenance, and logistics. The role of the XO is to take care of all matters in order to allow the commander to concentrate on tactical/operational planning. XO's have the ability to take charge in the absence of the commander. In a nutshell, the XO is second-in-command but assumes all responsibilities as the commander in their absence. The XO must always be prepared to assume these responsibilities.

Similar to platoon commanders, Officers-in-Charge (OIC), also must combine their institutional knowledge and mastery of their military occupational field to lead, train, and mentor all Marines under their charge. However, OIC's differ from platoon commanders because they also are trained to master a specific sub-field of knowledge that the Marine Corps does not expect the average junior officer to know. The unit's commanding officer hand selected me to fill this billet out of my primary occupational field in order to address perceived leadership, morale, and performance issues at the section. During my time at the section I was responsible for 40 Marines across six different ranks, and served as the responsible officer for two different property accounts totaling more than 200 items worth over $6 million, ensuring their accountability, maintenance, and employment in support of unit exercises and Marine Expeditionary Unit deployments.

This is one of the most coveted positions in the Marine Corps because it requires Marine Officers to use their understanding of the institution and their military occupational specialty to inspire, train, and develop young Marines. A Platoon Commander's sole responsibility is to prepare Marines for a combat environment. An effective Platoon Commander produces a more proficient and sustainable unit. In this position I oversaw 12 Marines across 5 different ranks, and 220 pieces of communications equipment worth over $7.5 million, ensuring its accountability, maintenance, and employment in support of unit exercises and Marine Expeditionary Unit deployments.

A Direct Air Support Control (DASC) officer, is responsible for receiving, processing, and coordinating immediate and pre-planned air support requests. These requests include but are not limited to processing air strikes, artillery missions, logistical resupply missions, and casualty evacuations. DASC officers must do this while they route aircraft safely over both enemy and friendly forces. These officers are also responsible for launching and diverting airborne assets while simultaneously maintaining friendly and enemy situation displays in order to provide the Air Control Commander with an accurate picture of the battlefield. A controller performs their routine duties in a very demanding, fluid, and dynamic environment, wherein the demand is high to make accurate and timely decisions involving the deconfliction of airspace. This function ultimately makes controllers responsible for millions of dollars of mission essential equipment . These responsibilities mean DASC officers serve as the primary bridge between the Corps’ aviation and ground forces, which requires them to have great attention to detail, technical proficiency, and an ability to remain calm and think clearly under pressure.

Trained to control and communicate with aircraft throughout the battlespace in-order-to support Marine Corps combat and non-combat operations, and facilitate information flow and exchange to various warfighting agencies working in support of Marine Corps operations.

Worked in the platoon while recovering from injuries sustained during training.

Received instruction in leadership and professional development, small unit tactics, weapons employment, and personnel management through classroom instruction, physical training, and field exercises.

Received over 580 hours of leadership, military skills, and physical training; commissioned after graduation.

▪ Wrote and edited section-by-section analyses summarizing legislation for subcommittee and committee markups▪ Edited the Committee’s "Combating Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel" report which provided suggestions on how to counter radicalization, better track foreign fighters globally, increase border security, and monitor known foreign fighters that have returned from conflict zones in Iraq and Syria

▪ Researched and composed regular blog posts on regional U.S. security assistance trends, including in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the U.A.E., and the Counterterrorism Partnerships Fund using original government documents, academic reports, and the Security Assistance Monitor database.▪ Led effort to rally congressional support for a bipartisan letter from Congress to Saudi Arabia addressing the state of human rights, religious freedom, and political expression within the Kingdom; letter garnered support from more than 65 members of Congress.

▪ Also worked as Research Intern from June 2012 to August 2012▪ Undertook daily research on international military modernization, U.S. foreign and military policy, the Arab-Israeli peace process, and international treaty negotiations for my superiors’ research and editorials.▪ Conducted original research and edited topic briefs, essays, notes, and papers related to the armed services’ reaction to sequestration, U.S. security policy in the Asia-Pacific, and security trends in the Asia-Pacific for Seth Cropsey’s monograph examining the current U.S. “rebalance” to Asia and book "Mayday: The Decline of US Naval Supremacy."