Captain Stephen “Cheese” Steacy is a native of Petaluma, California. He graduated from The George Washington University in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs and was designated a Naval Aviator in 2002. He holds a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School and is a graduate of the Joint Forces Staff College.
Flying the SH-60B and later the MH-60R, his operational assignments include Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (Light) Five One (HSL 51), Assistant Navigator aboard USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (CVN 71); and HSL 49 detachment officer-in-charge aboard USS THACH (FFG 43).
He served as executive officer and commanding officer of the “Saberhawks” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Seven Seven (HSM 77), deploying throughout the Indo-Pacific with Carrier Air Wing 5 as part of the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group and Forward Deployed Naval Forces Japan. During his time at the command, HSM 77 earned the 2020 Battle ‘E’ Award, for excellence in operations and readiness; the 2020 Arnold J. Isbell Trophy, for anti-submarine warfare tactical excellence; and the 2021 Secretary of Defense Phoenix Award, earning distinction as the “best of the best” in field-level maintenance in the Department of Defense.
Ashore, Captain Steacy was Flag Aide to Commander, Naval Service Training Command in Great Lakes, IL and a Budget Planner for US Forces Iraq in Baghdad. He served as both the Operations Officer and Maintenance Officer for HSL 49 in San Diego and as the Operations Officer for Helicopter Maritime Strike Wing, Pacific. He was an action officer in the Joint Staff, J-33 Deputy Directorate: Nuclear, Homeland Defense, and Current Operations. Most recently, he was the Associate Director for Integration in the OPNAV N81 Assessments Division focusing on questions of the Navy’s force design and future force structure.
Captain Steacy has flown over 2,000 hours. He holds various individual, unit, and campaign awards including multiple Battle ‘E’ and maintenance awards earned by Shipmates he is honored to have served alongside.
Last Updated: 29 August 2024