Navy Fleet Master Chief David Isom, a former member of Navy Special Warfare Development Group, or DEVGRU — commonly referred to as SEAL Team Six — has been selected to serve as the U.S. military’s next top enlisted leader, defense officials announced on Tuesday.
Currently serving as the command senior enlisted leader for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Isom will become the sixth service member to serve as the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, or SEAC, since the position was created in 2005.
Although the SEAC is considered the U.S. military’s most senior enlisted leader, the job involves serving as an advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff rather than as a direct supervisor within a chain of command.
Isom enlisted in the Navy in 1987, and after passing Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Training, or BUD/S, he went on to deploy with units that include DEVGRU, Naval Special Warfare Group 10, Special Reconnaissance Team 2, and SEAL Team 1, according to his official biography.
“His combat and operational deployments include Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, as well as deployments throughout the Pacific and the Horn of Africa,” his biography says.
Isom’s military awards include four Bronze Star Medals, including two with “V” devices for valor; two Combat Action Ribbons; and a Presidential Unit Citation, according to his service record.
Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, selected Isom to be the next SEAC following two rounds of interviews, a Joint Staff spokesperson told Task & Purpose on Tuesday.
Isom will replace Marine Sgt. Maj. Troy Black, who is leaving the job after serving as SEAC for two years. The change of office is tentatively scheduled for mid-to-late June.
Black previously served as the sergeant major of the Marine Corps before he was selected as the SEAC by Army Gen. Mark Milley, and he initially served as the senior enlisted advisor to Air Force Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown Jr., whom President Donald Trump fired as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in February.
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