Cmdr. Steven Fuentes
Commanding Officer,
Naval Construction Battalion 27
Cmdr. Steven Fuentes is a native of Texas. He was commissioned into the U.S. Navy in 2005 under the Direct Commission Officer Program. Fuentes’ professional education includes a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (1998) and a Master of Science in Engineering (2002) from the University of Texas at Austin. He also received a Master of Art in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College (2015), and a Doctor of Science in Civil Security Leadership, Management and Policy (2018) from New Jersey City University.
Fuentes began his Navy career as an Ensign with his first assignment as the Detachment 6 Officer-in-Charge (OIC) for Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 17 (NMCB 17) in Phoenix, Arizona. In 2007, he mobilized with NMCB 17 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as the Delta Company Commander responsible for all NMCB 17 convoy operations in Iraq.
He also served as the Intelligence Officer and Public Affairs Officer while in theater. Post deployment with NMCB 17, he served as the Engineering Officer and the Assistant Operations Officer. In 2011, Fuentes was assigned to the First Naval Construction Regiment where he served as the Current Operations Officer, Assistant Operations Officer, and Intelligence Officer.
In 2014, he mobilized and deployed with NMCB 25 to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom as a staff officer for the Plans Department (J-5) and the Assistant OIC for the Engineering Department (J-7) of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan. Upon his return from deployment, he was assigned to SEAL Team 17 in Coronado, CA during 2015 also serving as a Staff Engineer.
Fuentes returned to the Seabees and was the Training Officer for NMCB 14 from 2015 to 2017 and the Executive Officer for NMCB 18 from 2017 to 2019. From 2020 to 2021, he was assigned to Special Operations Command Europe as the Staff Engineer and Operations Officer.
Fuentes also served in a Joint billet as the Senior Service Representative for the Theater Contingency Engineering Management Detachment with Indo-Pacific Command from 2022 to 2023. He served as a staff officer with the Seventh Naval Construction Regiment while he was completing all Prospective Commanding Officer training.
Fuentes is qualified as a Seabee Combat Warfare Officer and Fleet Marine Force Officer. He is Level 1 Contracting certified. He is also Level 2 Joint Professional Military Education Certified. Fuentes is licensed as a Professional Engineer in the State of Texas. His personal decorations include the Navy Commendation Medal (4), the Army Commendation Medal, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, and the Navy Achievement Medal.