Matthew Sass

Commanding Officer - NTAG Great Lakes

01 April 2022

Commander Matthew Sass hails from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. He attended the University of Wisconsin and graduated in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts in history. He earned his wings of gold as a Naval flight officer in March of 2006, selecting the venerable P-3C Orion platform.

 

After completing the Fleet Replenishment Squadron (VP-30) training pipeline, Cmdr. Sass reported to the VP-40 Fighting Marlins located in Whidbey Island, Washington. Commander Sass conducted two combat deployments (2007, 2009), flying sorties out of Iraq, Bahrain, Japan, Guam, Italy, Scotland, and Norway. While with the Fighting Marlins, Cmdr. Sass qualified as a tactical coordinator (TACCO), mission commander, and instructor TACCO. He was the mission commander for the CPRW-10 Combat Aircrew of the Year, 2009.

 

Commander Sass then reported to Misawa, Japan to serve on the staff of Commander Task Force 72 where he was selected to attend the weapons and tactics instructor course in Fallon, NV, and Jacksonville, FL, earning his Level 500 designation. He served as the Philippine Liaison Officer, Assessments Officer, and Deputy Current Operations while with the staff.

 

In March of 2013, Cmdr. Sass reported to the USS John C Stennis (CVN-74) as a catapult and arresting gear officer (Shooter). He served as the V-3 Division Officer and cross-decked to the USS George Washington (CVN-73), USS Harry S Truman (CVN-75), and the USS Nimitz (CVN-68), launching and recovering aircraft around the world.

 

Commander Sass reported for his Department Head tour from 2016-2018 with the Grey Knights of VP-46 in Whidbey Island, WA. He served as the Tactics Officer, Admin Officer, and Operations Officer. Cmdr. Sass deployed twice to the Middle East with the Grey Knights and helped them earn back-to-back Battle Efficiency Awards.

 

Over the summer of 2018, Cmdr. Sass transferred to Stuttgart, Germany to serve at the headquarters of U.S. European Command. He served in the Joint Fires Element and the Eastern Flank Planning shops while in Germany. He also earned an Executive Masters in Business Administration through the Naval Postgraduate School’s distance learning program. In September of 2020 Cmdr. Sass took over as the Executive Officer of NTAG Great Lakes.

 

Commander Sass’ personal awards include a Joint Meritorious Service Medal, five Air Medals (Strike/Flight), one Joint Commendation Medal, three Navy Commendation Medals, one Navy Achievement Medal, and various Service and Unit awards.

 

Commander Sass has been married to his wife, Alyssa, for eight years. They have a daughter, Ellison, a dog, and a cat. The cat is a jerk.