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Commodore
Naval Construction Regiment (NCR) 7
NCR-7 Menu

Capt. Lester Ortiz
Commanding Officer, 7th Naval Construction Regiment

Capt. Lester Ortiz is a native of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico and graduated with a Bachelor’s and a Master’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez. He enlisted as a reservist with the US Marine Corps (1991-1997) and commissioned to the Civil Engineer Corps in March 1998 through the direct commission program.

Ortiz completed a second Master’s degree in Engineering Management from Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico in 2005 and has completed JPME I from U.S. Naval War College.

His tours include Detachment OIC, Communications Officer and Training Officer for Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 14, Assistant Training-Readiness Officer for 3rd Naval Construction Regiment (NCR), Atlanta, GA and Training Action Officer at Naval Facilities Engineering Headquarters, Navy Yard, Washington DC.  He was mobilized in 2003 as Communications Officer, 22nd NCR (rear) for eight months in Gulfport, MS, and served as Officer in Charge of Construction, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Forward in Iraq from August 2008 to February 2009.  
 
Returning from his Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment, he became Operations Officer, NMCB 27 and after two years he served one more year as Executive Officer when the battalion was awarded the Atlantic Battle E and the Rear Admiral John R. Perry Award.  Ortiz reported in 2012 to Naval Facilities Contingency Engineering Unit as the Officer in Charge for the Humanitarian Assistance - Disaster Recovery (HA/DR) Business Line establishing in 2014 the first Contingency Engineering Response Team (CERT) from the Reserve Component. 

From 2015 - 2017, Ortiz performed as commanding officer for NMCB 27 where the battalion was awarded the Atlantic Battle E both years and the Rear Admiral John R. Perry Award in 2017.  On December 2017, Ortiz reported to US Southern Command for duty as Executive Officer with J45 Theater Contingency Engineering Management (TCEM).  He was acting as the Officer in Charge of the unit since August 2019 to February 2021. On March 2021 Ortiz reported as the Officer in Charge for Navy Reserve US European Command J4 unit and in 2022 performed as interim Deputy Director for Engineering and Logistics Services (ECJ44) during the initial stage of the Ukraine-Russia crisis. In August 2022 he became the Commanding Officer of 7th NCR.
 
Ortiz is a registered Professional Engineer in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and a qualified Seabee Combat Warfare officer, Fleet Marine Force qualified officer, and Qualified Level I contracting officer. His personal awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (2), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (5), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (4), Battle E (5), Navy Unit Commendation, Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation and USMCR Good Conduct Medal.
 

 
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