Eric Jabs
Commanding Officer Expeditionary Combat Readiness Center
Captain Jabs serves in Expeditionary Combat Readiness Center, responsible for all Navy Individual Augmentees in support of Overseas Contingency Operations. Beginning nuclear training in 1986, his first sea assignment was USS Grayling (SSN 646) as Main Propulsion Assistant and Communicator. While assigned to Grayling, he conducted two Western Pacific deployments aboard USS Pogy (SSN 647) and USS Guardfish (SSN 612), plus Navy SCUBA diver training in Pearl Harbor. CAPT Jabs next served as Flag LT to the Naval Inspector General in Washington.
Captain Jabs then went to SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team ONE in Hawaii as a Diver and Dry Deck Shelter Officer. Responsible for operating and maintaining three shelters that fit on top of submarines, CAPT Jabs deployed numerous times—operating out on deck, inside the shelter, and on the conn of the submarine while conducting submerged Special Warfare missions. In 1993 he reported to USS W. H. Bates (SSN 680), a Dry Deck Shelter-capable boat. There he served as Navigator, Operations, and Weapons Officer, while also conducting another Western Pacific deployment for a mission vital to National Security.
Captain Jabs reported in 1997 to US Southern Command (J33) in Panama. There he was Executive Officer of the Deployable Joint Task Force Augmentation Cell, and deployed this team to El Salvador, Cuba, Jamaica, Peru, plus other locations to establish JTFs. He moved with SOUTHCOM to Miami, when the Canal Zone was returned to Panama.
From 1999 to 2001 Captain Jabs commanded Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Center Manchester, NH, where his team earned the Sydney Fields award plus the Seven Seals award from ESGR for support to Sailors and their Employers.
Captain Jabs next served as Reserve Liaison Officer for Submarine Warfare Division on the Chief of Naval Operations staff (OPNAV N77) in the Pentagon. He was Program Manager for the Submarine Reserve with a $42M budget in FY04.
From 2004 to 2007, Captain Jabs was NATO's OSO; First deploying to Baghdad as Team Chief for NATO Training Mission-Iraq assigned to train Iraqi officers in their National Joint Operations Center. He then executed live exercises Noble Javelin and Steadfast Jaguar. These deployments of the NATO Response Force to the west coast of Africa demonstrated this expeditionary arm of the Alliance. He was also responsible for the total transformation of NATO’s Reserve program--making it Joint and Combined while also aligning it to the current Alliance structure.
From 2007 to 2008 Captain Jabs was Deputy Director of the Joint Reserve Directorate and Operational Support Officer in U.S. Joint Forces Command (JFCOM,) located in Norfolk, VA. In this capacity, he was responsible for the effective employment and alignment of the Reserve Components in JFCOM--a sum of 1384 billets from all services.
From 2008 to 2010 Captain Jabs commanded NOSC Norfolk; supporting 4505 drilling Reservists in 142 units.
From 2010 to 2011 he served in Navy Expeditionary Combat Command as ACOS for Training and Readiness (N7).
A native of South Carolina, Captain Jabs is a graduate of the: National War College, University of NH, University of SC, Joint Forces Staff College, plus Air Command and Staff College.