Royal Marines Commando
Warrant Officer 1st Class (WO1) Lee Carr serves as the Command Senior Enlisted Leader (CSEL) of NATO’s Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM), located in Northwood, United Kingdom.
As the Command Senior Enlisted Leader of Allied Maritime Command, it is an honour and a privilege to serve as the champion of NCO Personal & Professional development within MARCOM.
As CSEL, WO1 Carr serves as the principal advisor to his commander, Royal Navy Vice Admiral Keith Blount, on matters affecting non-commissioned members (NCM) in the Alliance, while providing the command’s force structure and staff with NCM and junior officer development, utilisation and engagement. He has been in the position since October 2018.
WO1 Carr joined the Royal Marines in 1988; throughout his 32-year career, he has deployed to missions and operations in Holland, Iraq, Kosovo, Middle East, Northern Ireland, Sierra Leone, Southern Turkey, the United States, the Caribbean and Mediterranean. He has served in a variety of assignments and completed multiple schools around the globe. More information on his career can be found here: https://bit.ly/3gtha50
“As the Command Senior Enlisted Leader of Allied Maritime Command, it is an honour and a privilege to serve as the champion of NCO Personal & Professional development within MARCOM,” said WO1 Carr. “What really enthuses me is the high calibre of the NCO’s across our Nations. Throughout NATO we should be proud of our NCO Cadre and what it can bring to the Alliance; Our people are one of our best assets.”
Official portrait of NATO Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) Command Senior Enlisted Leader Warrant Officer 1st Class Lee Carr. (Photo courtesy of MARCOM)
MARCOM is the central command of all NATO maritime forces and the MARCOM Commander is the principal
maritime advisor to the Alliance. Like its land and air counterparts (LANDCOM & AIRCOM), MARCOM answers directly to NATO’s Allied Command Operations (ACO) which is located in Mons, Belgium.
MARCOM was officially launched on Dec. 1, 2012, to reflect the NATO Heads of State’s decision to create a leaner and more effective command structure. This decision, taken at the NATO Lisbon Summit in November 2010, led to the largest reform in the Alliance since the end of the Cold War and reduced the number of major headquarters from 11 to six. NATO decided to consolidate two maritime commands and concentrate all maritime responsibilities into a single maritime command, MARCOM, located at Northwood, United Kingdom.
NATO’s presence in Northwood Headquarters dates back to 1953, only four years after the creation of the Alliance. That year, NATO decided that its Eastern Atlantic Command would be colocated with what used to be the Royal Air Force Coastal Command. Over the years, a number of NATO maritime functions have relocated to Northwood: NATO Channel command in 1966 and Flag Officer Submarines in 1978. After the end of the Cold War, NATO Eastern Atlantic Command followed the restructuration of NATO’s Command Structure. In 2004, its role evolved to Allied Maritime Component Command (MCC Northwood) together with another MCC in Naples, Italy. During this period, Northwood and Naples shared the responsibility for NATO maritime operations and exercises.
This is part five of a SHAPE Public Affairs series, introducing CSELs within Allied Command Operations. Following highlights will include CSELs from: Allied Air Command, and other units from multiple domains and subcommands.