Captain Newt McKissick, USN (Ret.)

Senior Advisor

Former Military Deputy to the Director of the Defense Innovation Unit

Newt McKissick is a Senior Advisor at WestExec, where he advises clients on national security, defense innovation, emerging technology, and the intersection of government and industry.

Prior to joining WestExec, Newt retired from the U.S. Navy as a Captain after more than 27 years of service. Most recently, he served as Military Deputy to the Director and Navy Service Lead at the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), where he helped accelerate the adoption of commercial technology across the Department of War and strengthen partnerships between the military, venture capital, and the private sector to deliver strategic capabilities to the warfighter.

Throughout his naval career, Newt held a series of senior operational and leadership positions spanning aviation, strategy, budgeting, and installation command. As Commanding Officer of Naval Base Coronado, he led one of the Navy’s largest installations, overseeing nine bases, 150 tenant commands, and more than 40,000 military and civilian personnel. Earlier assignments at the Pentagon included responsibility for naval aviation procurement and research and development budgeting, as well as serving as Director of the Navy Appropriations Matters Office, where he worked extensively with congressional appropriations committees on defense funding and policy.

A career naval aviator, Newt accumulated more than 3,000 flight hours in the SH-60B and MH-60R Seahawk and commanded Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 77, leading multiple operational deployments in support of U.S. Seventh Fleet and operations throughout the Indo-Pacific.

Newt holds an Executive MBA from the Naval Postgraduate School and a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College.