Lieutenant Commander Kristen Kerns is a native of Aurora, Colorado, Boettcher Foundation Scholar, and a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering. She received her commission through Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps. She earned a master’s degree from the Naval War College Newport, Rhode Island in Defense and Strategic Studies and a master’s degree from Naval Postgraduate School Monterrey, California in Systems Engineering. She has completed Joint Professional Military Education Phase I, and has attained advanced acquisition certifications in Engineering and Test and Evaluation.

LCDR Kerns’ initial sea tour was aboard the San Diego-based USS Denver (LPD 9) as the Boilers and Propulsion Division officer, Weapons Officer, and Administration Officer. She transferred to Bath, Maine to pre-commission USS Sterett (DDG 104) as the Antisubmarine Warfare Officer, completed an Individual Augmentee tour at US Military Group at the United States Embassy in Bogotá, Colombia and returned to Sterett to finish her tour as the Engineering Training Officer. As a department head she served as operations officer on the Norfolk-based USS Mitscher (DDG 57) and served as the Combat Systems Officer, Chief Readiness Officer, and Antiterrorism Force Protection Officer for Destroyer Squadron 26.

Ashore, LCDR Kerns served in Port Hueneme, California as the Project Officer for the Self Defense Test Ship, a remote-controlled Spruance-class destroyer used to conduct developmental and operational testing of the U.S. Navy’s self-defense systems. Her next shore tour was at Commander Operational Test and Evaluation Force where she served as Operational Test Coordinator for the AEGIS Combat System Suite, Arleigh Burke DDG51 Flight III class destroyer, and Air and Missile Defense Radar, also known as AN/SPY-6.  Lieutenant Commander Kerns last reported to Naval Support Facility Redzikowo, Poland in November, 2020 to serve as the Executive Officer of the Navy’s newest Ballistic Missile Defense base.  She is now serving as an Instructor for Systems Engineering at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

B.S. Chemical Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder Colorado (2005)

M.S. Systems Engineering, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterrey California (2012)

M.A. Defense and Strategic Studies, Naval War College, Newport Rhode Island (2016)

May 2005 – Aug 2007, Weapons Officer, Boilers Officer, Admin Officer, USS DENVER (LPD-9), Navy Base San Diego, San Diego, California

Aug 2007 – Nov 2009,  Anti-Submarine Warfare Officer, Engineering Training Officer USS STERETT (DDG-104) Navy Base San Diego, San Diego, California

Nov 2008 – May 2009, Operations Officer Assistant, US MILGRP US Embassy, Bogotá, Colombia

Dec 2009 – Nov 2012, Project Officer Self Defense Test Ship / Land and Sea Test Officer, Naval Sea Systems Command, Port Hueneme Detachment, Port Hueneme, California

Nov 2012 – Feb 2013, Student AEGIS Training and Readiness Center, Dahlgren, Virginia

Mar 2013 – Feb 2014, Student, Surface Warfare Officer School, Newport, Rhode Island

Mar 2014 – May 2015, Operations Officer, USS MITSCHER (DDG-57)

June 2015 – June 2016, Staff Director, Readiness Officer, Force Protection Officer, Commander Destroyer Squadron 26 (COMDESRON-26), Norfolk, Virginia

Jul 2017 – Aug 2020, Operational Test Coordinator DDG-51 Flt III/SPY-6/AEGIS ACB 16/20, Commander Operational Test and Evaluation Force (COTF), Norfolk, Virginia

Aug 2020 – Nov 2020, Commanding Officer Pipeline Training, Washington, D.C.

Nov 2020 – Nov 2021, Executive Officer, Naval Support Facility, Redzikowo, Poland

Dec 2021 – Present, Instructor Systems Engineering, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado

2000 Boettcher Scholar

2005 National Defense Service Medal

2005 Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal

2005 Navy Expert Pistol Medal

2005 Navy Expert Rifle Medal

2006 Sea Service Deployment Ribbon

2009 Global War on Terror Service Ribbon

2009 Joint Service Achievement Medal

2009 Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal

2012 Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal

2015 Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal

2015 Navy Unit Battle “E” Ribbon

2015 Sea Service Deployment Ribbon

2016 Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal

2016 Sea Service Deployment Ribbon

2017 Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal

2020 Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal

2021 Meritorious Service Medal

2021 Armed Forces Service Medal

Model Based Systems Engineering, Design Optimization, Project Engineering