ANDREW G. BAAN

CAPTAIN, UNITED STATES NAVY (RC) (Ret)

            Captain Andrew G. Baan was commissioned in the U.S. Navy in 1980 after completing the NROTC program at the University of Notre Dame.

            He attained his Surface Warfare qualification aboard USS MANITOWOC (LST-1180), his first ship, where he served as Assistant First Lieutenant. MANITOWOC made two deployments to the Mediterranean during his tour, both times called to duty in the Eastern Med. The second included the beginning of operations in Lebanon in 1982, inserting the Marines into Beirut. He was awarded a split tour, and served as the Fire Control/Assistant Combat Systems Officer aboard USS COMTE DE GRASSE (DD-974) until he left active duty.

            LT Baan then entered the U.S. Naval Reserve, assigned as the first officer of the reserve unit standing up to support USS ESTOCIN (FFG-15) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He also enrolled in the Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle, PA, from which he obtained his law degree. ESTOCIN became a ship in the FFG program, moving its homeport to Philadelphia and absorbing the reserve unit as an integral part of the crew. LT Baan served as the Assistant Combat Systems Officer, and became the first reserve officer aboard ESTOCIN to obtain qualifications as OOD and CDO.

            LT Baan, after law school, moved to Colorado, becoming a prosecutor for the City of Aurora, then for the District Attorney in Golden. He served as the Training Officer for the Readiness Unit in Denver, later re-joining the FFG program as the Assistant Combat Systems Officer aboard USS WADSWORTH (FFG-9). He then affiliated with the Intelligence community, serving as an Operational Analyst for NR Naval Operational Intelligence Center Detachment in Denver.

            LCDR Baan was recalled to active duty as an Operational Analyst for NAVAL OPERATIONAL INTELLIGENCE CENTER, Washington (Suitland, MD) for Operations Desert Shield/Storm. After the U.S. and Coalition victory in the Gulf, he returned to the District Attorney’s Office and to his former intelligence reserve unit, renamed NAVAL MILITARY INTELLIGENCE COMMAND.

            Wanting to go back to sea, LCDR Baan volunteered and was appointed interim, then later selected as the permanent, Commanding Officer of NR FFT MEYERKORD, in Denver. The unit was named the best unit in the Reserve Center.

            The program was terminated, and after finding jobs for his crew he was appointed Commanding Officer of NR FLEET TRAINING GROUP, WESTPAC in Denver. The Naval Reserve was contracting, and that unit disbanded as well. He was immediately given another command, appointed Gaining Command Liaison Officer of the FFG TRAINING UNIT in Colorado Springs, Colorado, turning the readiness of that unit around in short period of time.

            Upon completion of that tour, CDR Baan was selected to serve as Commanding Officer, PERSONNEL MOBILIZATION TEAM, DENVER. The team assisted in writing the new reserve mobilization plan, and was recognized as the best small unit in the Nation.

            He served as training officer of Denver’s Commander, U.S. NAVAL FORCES KOREA Detachment unit for one year.

            The next year, he was selected as the Commanding Officer of the CINCUSNAVEUR unit in Denver, and was instrumental in creating the means for real-time support by the reserve unit to the active duty command, by developing a relationship with BUCKLEY AIR NATIONAL GUARD base to use its secure computer network connection to provide support to the gaining command in England.

            Not having any command tenure remaining as a Commander, he was appointed as Admin/Transformation officer for the SUPREME ALLIED COMMAND, ATLANTIC (SACLANT) reserve unit in Salt Lake City, Utah.

            CAPT Baan was recalled to active duty after September 11, to SACLANT. He served as Current Operations Branch Head (HC-32)/Strategic Operations Center Current Operations J3-Head (J3), for the fight on terrorism, Noble Eagle. He immediately stepped into a billet filled by an active duty Navy Captain, allowing that officer to fulfill other duties, as SACLANT was preparing for a potential role in the war on terrorism, and further demonstrating the readiness of Reserve members. After NATO changed SACLANT’s mission to a non-operational one, he became an Experimentation Officer until his demobilization. He worked with a British professor to determine how the professor’s new method of analysis could help both NATO and the U.S. military by assisting the study of the process by both Allied Command Transformation (ACT, formerly SACLANT) and U.S. Joint Forces Command. The project continues its refinement toward incorporation into NATO’s methods of doing mission analysis.

            Upon demobilization, CAPT Baan wanted to continue to serve the military, in some way, serving the defense of the country vice returning to the law. He accepted a job as a civilian contracted Military Analyst at UNITED STATES JOINT FORCES COMMAND J-7. In the Reserves, he served the Commander, SECOND FLEET and his efforts to establish an international military organization, a NATO Center of Excellence with Expeditionary Warfare as its specialty.

            That organization having been created, he was asked to assume the responsibility of CO of NOSC Norfolk’s 120 member VTU, to solve numerous problems with that unit. He cured those problems, and caused a large increase in the support of other active duty commands in the Norfolk area.

            CAPT Baan volunteered to be recalled to duty in Iraq, and served as a member of an Army Civil Affairs Brigade in Baghdad, supporting Multi-National Corps – Iraq.

            He completed the Naval War College’s Fleet Seminar program to prepare himself for future greater responsibilities. He earned a Masters Degree from the War College in Security and Strategic Studies (concentration: Strategic Planning).

            CAPT Baan’s final Navy assignment was again as a member of NOSC Norfolk’s VTU. His current civilian job is with ITA International, supporting the Navy’s Maritime Civil Affairs and Security Training Command.

            His decorations include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Forces Commendation Medal, Naval Commendation Medal (four awards), and the Navy Achievement Medal and other unit awards including the Iraq Campaign Medal and the Navy Expeditionary Medal.