Today, Commander Cegelske was relieved by Commander Lawrence as Commanding Officer, Cyber Defense Activity SIXTY FOUR. Commander Lawrence’s biography follows:
Lemuel “Seth” Lawrence
Commanding Officer
Cyber Defense Activity SIXTY FOUR
CDR Lemuel “Seth” Lawrence is a native of Moorcroft, WY. He enlisted as a Nuclear Machinist’s Mate (MM) in 1996, completed associated training and qualifications, and was selected as an instructor at Nuclear Prototype Training Unit in Ballston Spa, NY. After receiving his Bachelor of Science, Human Resource Management (HRM), from The New School University in 2000 he was accepted to Officer Candidate School.
Upon commissioning in 2000 as a Navy Cryptology Officer, he was stationed at Naval Security Group Activity Kunia where he qualified as a Watch Officer, a Direct Support Officer (Subsurface), and served as the Fleet Cryptologic Augmentation Center Officer. During the last year of this tour he was selected to support Commander Pacific Fleet staff as an Information Operations (IO) and Special Technical Operations (STO) planner.
In July 2004, he reported to Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA where he studied Computer Science and completed Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) phase I. Upon completion of his MS, he transferred to Navy Information Operations Command (NIOC) Suitland where he was selected to stand up the new NNWC N33 CNO Staff element at Fort Meade, serve as the Assistant Department Head for Sailors supporting the National Security Agency’s Tailored Access Operations, and was the Navy Mission Commander supporting the Joint Cyber Attack Team aligned to JFCC-NW that later grew to become US Cyber Command.
Following his tour with NSA, he was a FLTCYBERCOM/COMTENTHFLT plank owner and was the first C10F Battle Watch Captain, served as Deputy Current Operations Officer, Assistant Senior Watch Officer, and lead Offensive Cyber Planner among other duties. Following his staff tour, he served as Executive Officer at NIOC Pensacola.
In August of 2013 he transferred to NIOC MD where he stood up 21 National Mission Team operationally supporting US Cyber Command and Cyber National Mission Force (CNMF). Prior to reporting as the Executive Officer for Cyber Defense Activity Sixty-Four, CDR Lawrence most recently served as the Cryptologic Warfare (CW) and Cyber Warfare Engineer (CWE) Officer Community Manager at the Bureau of Naval Personnel in Millington, TN.
He is married to the former Dodie L. Wood of Gillette, WY. Together they have three children. His personal decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (4), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, and Navy Achievement Medal (2).
28 June 2019 at 07:56
Wonderful biographical sketch that really made my day, Mario! I’m delighted that our beloved Navy is still making officers from former enlisted personnel. Commander Lawrence’s biographical sketch has quite a similar sound to that of J.J. Rochefort!
While I was living in Missoula, Montana and working for the USDA Forest Service, I made a number of trips back to visit my aging mother in Yankton, South Dakota. Each time I drove through Gillette, Wyoming. Commander Lawrence gives me renewed faith in the personnel of today’s Navy. (I had to wonder where we were headed as a nation when I was in and out of the University of Montana several times i the late 1960’s. I was not one of the many (and largest percentage of the student body) protesters about the Vietnam War. When I got out of the Navy and went back to college, I had a biology professor (named Sheridan) who gave one last anti-military/anti Vietnam lecture as he was handing out the blue books for his final exam. “Miserable McKane” got so annoyed with that clown, I immediately turned my blue book cover into a paper airplane and threw it in his face. I also told him where he could shove his opinions about our Armed Forces “and the people who serve our country in the military.”
I long thought I was going to dedicate my book to “my two wives.” Shortly before Debbie left two weeks ago tonight to fly back to Utah where he dad was in the hospital, I told Deb: “I’m not going to dedicate Time to Reexamine Pearl Harbor to you and Leah.” I followed that up by saying, “I’m going to dedicate it the way I always really wanted to, but was afraid someone might accuse me of trying to warn people between the lines.” She said, “What will the dedication say?” I replied, “To the men and women of the Armed Forces of the United States of America, yesterday, today, and tomorrow.”
I’ve never yet met the man or woman who has been serving honorably whom I do not have the greatest respect and admiration for.
My congratulations and most sincere thanks to Commander Lawrence!
Thank you very much for this biography (and all the others, too, Mario)!
Go Navy!
Andy McKane (from Maunaloa, Molokai where I’m batching it for awhile yet).
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