Mark Mellett | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Native name | Marcus Ó Méalóid |
| Birth name | Mark Mellett |
| Born | (1958-11-04)4 November 1958 (age 66) Castlebar,County Mayo,Ireland |
| Allegiance |  Ireland |
| Service |  Army Reserve (former) Naval Service |
| Years of service | 1976–2021 |
| Rank |  Vice Admiral (OF-8) |
| Commands | Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces 2015-2021 Deputy Chief of Staff (Support) 2013 Flag Officer Commanding the Naval Service 2010 LÉ Eithne (P31) 2005 LÉ Ciara (P42) 1997 LÉ Orla (P41) 1991 |
| Battles / wars | ISAF (Afghanistan) 2004 UNIFIL (Lebanon) 1989 |
| Awards |  DSM with Distinction Service Medal UN Peacekeepers Medal Centenary Medal UN Medal forUNIFIL.svg) NATO Medal forISAF |
Vice AdmiralMark Mellett,DSM (Irish:Marcus Ó Méalóid; born 4 November 1958), is a retiredIrish Naval Service vice admiral and wasChief of Staff of Ireland'sDefence Forces from September 2015 until September 2021.[1]
Mark Mellett is fromCastlebar,County Mayo, and joined theIrish Naval Service in November 1976 having served in the thenFCÁ (Army Reserve), 5th Motor Sqn (modern-dayCavalry Corps), before being appointed as a Commissioned Officer after a two-year cadetship where he studied at theCadet School Military College in theCurragh Camp, County Kildare,Cadet School Naval CollegeHaulbowline,Cork in Ireland, and atBritannia Royal Naval College inDartmouth, England.
His first command was of theLÉOrla in 1991, he subsequently commanded theLÉCiara in 1997 before commanding the Irish Naval Serviceflagship,LÉEithne, in 2005. He became the second Naval Service officer recipient of theDistinguished Service Medal (DSM) in 1994 asCaptain of the LÉOrla for its role in the detention of drug smuggling craft.[2]
Mellett is a qualified navy diver and former member of the specialistNaval Service Diving Section (NSDS).[3]
Mellett served overseas with the Irish Defence Forces as part of theUnited Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in 1989, and with theInternational Security Assistance Force (ISAF) inAfghanistan in 2004 as a seniorNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Information Operations Officer, where he was credited as being a major player in the success of the2004 Afghan presidential election – whereHamid Karzai was elected into office – using his diplomacy skills in bringing together the numerous official bodies entrusted with running the democratic elections.[4] He received citations for his service in both Lebanon and Afghanistan.[3]
Mellett has served asCommandant of the Naval College and Associate Head of theNational Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI).[1]
Mellett was the Officer Commanding Naval Operations Command (OCNOC) at Naval Headquarters,Haulbowline Naval Base,Cork Harbour prior to his appointment as Flag Officer Commanding the Naval Service (FOCNS) in January 2011, holding the rank ofCommodore.[5] As flag officer, his vision was to transform the Irish Naval Service into the "smartest, most innovative and responsive" navy in the world.[6]
In November 2013, Mellett was announced as Deputy Chief of Staff, Support (D COS Sp) at Defence Forces Headquarters by theDepartment of Defence, promoted to the rank ofRear admiral, and becoming the highest ranking Naval Service officer in the history of the state at the time.[1]
On 29 September 2015, Mellett took over fromLieutenant generalConor O'Boyle (Irish Army) asChief of Staff of the Defence Forces when Lt Gen O'Boyle retired. Mellett was nominated for the position byMinister for DefenceSimon Coveney,[7] approved by theIrish government and appointed by thePresident of Ireland, who is the Supreme Commander of the Defence Forces. Mellett made Irish military history in becoming the first Defence Forces Chief of Staff from outside the branch of the Army, promoted to the rank ofVice admiral, the naval equivalent of an Irish ArmyLieutenant general.[8][9][10]
Mellett holds a PhD (2009) in Political Science in Governance fromNUI Galway and aMaster of Commerce (2002) in Government and Public Policy (Honours) fromUniversity College Cork (UCC). He is a distinguished graduate of theUnited StatesNaval War College,Newport, Rhode Island (1999), where he was the top graduate of the thirty two attending countries.[11] He was also the top graduate in both the Irish Command and Staff College (1998) and theRoyal Naval College, Greenwich (1989).
Mellett is a Fellow of theNautical Institute (FNI). He has been a visiting professor at the Centre for Applied Research in Security Innovation (CASI) atLiverpool Hope University, and has published in the areas of security, innovation and governance. Mellett is a published research member of the European Security Research Innovation Forum (ESRIF).[12]
He is a founding member of the Irish Maritime and Energy Resource Cluster (IMERC), an institutional cluster encompassing University College Cork andCork Institute of Technology (CIT). The aim of IMERC is to enhance Defence Forces capability while facilitating innovation, transformation and job creation in the private sector.[13]
Vice Admiral Mellett has been appointed as an adjunct professor in the University College Cork (UCC) College of Business & Law.[14]
Mellett is married with four children.[15] He is said to be interested in physical fitness, including running, cycling and gym work.[16]
| Rank | Position | Date |
|---|---|---|
 Officer cadet | December 1976 | |
 Ensign | ||
 Sub-lieutenant | ||
 Lieutenant | ||
 Lieutenant commander | LÉOrla 1991 LÉCiara 1997 | |
 Commander | LÉEithne 2005 | |
 Captain | ||
 Commodore | Flag Officer Commanding theNaval Service (FOCNS) | 25 January 2011 |
 Rear admiral | Deputy Chief of Staff, Support (D COS Sp) Defence Forces Headquarters | 5 November 2013 |
| Vice Admiral | Chief of Staff ofDefence Forces Ireland | 29 September 2015 |
 | Naval Service Diving Officer |
 | Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) with Distinction |
| Service Medal (20 years service) |
| United Nations Peacekeepers Medal |
| 1916 Centenary Commemorative Medal |
| United Nations Medal forUNIFIL |
| NATO Non-Article 5 Medal forISAF |
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| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces 2015–2021 | Succeeded by |