COMMANDING OFFICER
Captain Aaron D. Werbel, Ph.D.
Medical Service Corps,
United States Navy
A native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Captain Aaron Werbel received his Bachelor of Science with honors in psychology from the University of Michigan (1988), and a Master of Arts, and Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology from Michigan State University (1993, 1997). He completed his pre-doctoral clinical internship at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland in 1997.
Captain Werbel assumed the duties of executive officer, Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Twentynine Palms and deputy director, Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms in September 2021. Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms is a community hospital that supports the largest U.S. Marine Corps training base in the world, the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center. Offering air-to-ground live-fire training, this base is located in Twentynine Palms, California, and occupies 1,100 square miles in the Mojave Desert.
Werbel served on the board of directors of the Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, where he was the director for behavioral health leading a team of over 200 staff in 14 inpatient, outpatient and partial hospitalization clinics. He was the behavioral health market service leader for the National Capitol Region-Medical Directorate facilitating standardized processes and access to care for beneficiaries in 81 clinics across 17 medical treatment facilities (MTF) in the region. He also represented the Defense Health Agency Large Markets on the Military Health System’s Behavioral Health Clinical Community implementing the principles of high reliability organizations to behavioral health in the Department of Defense Healthcare Network.
Previously, Werbel served as the chief of staff, Healthcare Operations (N3), Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) where he led a staff of 270 to ensure smooth operations in Navy Medicine’s 27 MTFs, directing policy development to guide 63,000 providers in their care for over 2.7 million beneficiaries worldwide. During this tour he also served as the interim assistant deputy chief BUMED and the Navy liaison officer to the DHA governance system in support of the Navy surgeon general and deputy surgeon general. Past assignments included: director, Midshipmen Development Center, United States Naval Academy; acting senior medical officer and ship’s psychologist, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69); behavioral health affairs officer, Headquarters, United States Marine Corps (Manpower & Reserve Affairs), Quantico, Virginia; department head, mental health and substance abuse rehabilitation program, U.S. Naval Hospital, Naples, Italy; and staff psychologist, mental health and internal medicine HIV/AIDS clinic, National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland.
Capt. Werbel assumed command of Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Lemoore on September 8, 2023.
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
CAPTAIN Mathew R. Loe
Nurse Corps
United States Navy
Captain Mathew R. Loe completed his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in 1995 and his Master of Science in Nursing at The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston in 2001. In 2012, he completed the Doctor of Nursing Practice at Texas Tech Health Science Center with Honors. He was awarded Best Capstone Clinical Project for his work on heat illness and inducted into Sigma Theta Tau. In 2014, he completed a post-doctorate Certificate in Executive Leadership from Texas Tech Health Science Center.
After an extensive civilian career, CAPT Loe joined the U.S. Navy in support of the Global War on Terrorism. As Officer-in-Charge, Expeditionary Medical Facility Dallas One, Detachment J, led a team supporting global contingency operations and a medical readiness clinic that supported thirty-two commands. Deployed to Afghanistan in 2008, served as Embedded Training Team Chief and Senior Mentor to the 203rd Afghan Army Garrison Commander, Polish Liaison Officer, and Medical Embedded Training Team Leader responsible for all Forward Operating Base departments supporting over three thousand Afghan Army and four hundred North Atlantic Treaty Organization personnel. After deployment, served as Primary Care Manager and Department Head of Deployment Health at Naval Branch Health Clinic Gulfport, Mississippi supporting medical readiness requirements for over thirty commands throughout the Gulf Coast region and medical screening for global contingency operations. Next served at the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, as Branch Head of Family Readiness, Program Manager for LIMDU SMART, and coordinator for enlisted and Marine Corps accession program waivers. Further tours include, Senior Medical Officer of United States Aegis Ashore Missile Defense System Redzikowo, Poland, and Department Head of Readiness and Primary Care Manager at Bangor, Washington. Most recently held several roles to include Director for Clinical Support Services, Director for Branch Clinics, and as Officer-in-Charge Marine Corps Air Station all at Naval Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Beaufort, South Carolina. Currently Services as Executive Officer NMRTC Lemoore and Deputy Director Naval Health Clinic Lemoore, California.
Loe's awards include the Meritorious Service Medal (3), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (3), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and as 2009 Association of the United States Navy Bea Ratner Nurse Corps Junior Officer of the Year.
COMMAND MASTER CHIEF
HMCM Eric Smith
United States Navy
Master Chief Petty Officer Eric Smith was born in Baltimore Maryland and raised in Colorado Springs Colorado. He graduated from Chesapeake High School in May 1989 but didn’t join the U.S. Navy until December 1997. Attending basic training in Great Lakes Illinois. After graduation from Hospital Corpsman School in Great Lakes, Illinois, he attended Field Medical Service School in Camp Pendleton California, his first duty assignment was with 3rd Force Service Support Group, on Camp Kinser in Okinawa, Japan. In 2004 he deployed on his first of two tours to Iraq with II Marine Air Wing where he was selected to fly Casualty Evacuation. In 2006 he attended Independent Duty Corpsman School graduating with honors. He went on to complete several commands as an 8425 Senior Medical Department Representative and advanced to Chief Petty Officer in 2009.
While stationed in Norfolk Naval Shipyard with Maritime Expeditionary Squadron Two as the Senior Medical Department Representative he deployed to Kuwait three times. He advanced to Senior Chief Petty Officer in 2013 and became the Senior Enlisted Leader (SEL) for Coastal Riverine Squadron Two Delta Company.
In 2014 Senior Chief Smith was stationed back overseas at Naval Hospital Okinawa Japan where he was the Directorate for Administration SEL and briefly held the position of acting Command Master Chief for the hospital. He served one year in Diego Garcia serving as the Branch Health Clinic (BHC) SEL before coming back to the states and getting assigned as the SEL in San Diego at Naval Medical Readiness Command 32nd street BHC. In 2021 he was selected to Master Chief Petty Officer during his tour with 3D MAW, Marine Air Group 13 in Yuma Arizona.
Master Chief Smith’s academic achievements include a bachelors degree in Healthcare studies; National Registry Emergency Medicine Technician; National Registry Paramedic. Smiths’ personal awards include Air medal (seven), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (three awards), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (four awards), Coast Guard Achievement Medal (with operational “O”), Fleet Marine Force Enlisted Warfare Specialist Insignia, Seabee Combat Enlisted Warfare Insignia, Expeditionary Enlisted Warfare Insignia, Combat Aircrew Wings. He currently the command master chief of Navy Medical Readiness & Training Command Lemoore.