Naval Beach Unit SEVEN
Commanding Officer 
   
CDR Erik R. Nilsson
Commanding Officer
CDR Erik Nilsson is a native of Miami, Florida and is a 1993 graduate of the Virginia Military Institute; he earned his commission through the NROTC program at VMI. CDR Nilsson received his Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College in Newport, RI in March of 2005.

CDR Nilsson's sea tours include Electrical Officer and later Assistant First Lieutenant in USS RUSHMORE (LSD 47) homeported in San Diego, CA, from December 1993 to June 1996. Navigator of USS CURTS (FFG 38), forward deployed to the Seventh Fleet in Yokosuka, Japan from June 1996 to September 1997. Following attendance at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA he was assigned to the Italian Third Naval Division in Brindisi, Italy; his duties while attached to the Italian Navy from May 1998 to May 2000 included Amphibious Operations Planning Officer, Battaglione San Marco Liaison Officer, and Staff Operations Officer. Upon completing Department Head School in February 2001 he reported onboard USS ROBERT G. BRADLEY (FFG 49) in Mayport, FL as the Operations Officer. He reported in August 2002 as the Operations Officer of Destroyer Squadron TWO SIX then embarked in USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73). CDR Nilsson served as Executive Officer of USS WINSTON S. CHURCHILL (DDG 81) from August 2005 to July 2007. Through these tours CDR Nilsson made multiple Western Pacific, Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, Caribbean, Eastern Pacific and Southwest Atlantic deployments in support of national tasking.

CDR Nilsson's shore tour was at U.S. Joint Forces Command in Norfolk, Virginia where he served in the Directorate for Human Capital Resource Management (J02HR) as the Assistant Manpower Branch Head from August 2007 to June 2009.

CDR Nilsson reported to Beachmaster Unit ONE (BMU 1) as Executive Officer in August 2009 and fleeted-up to assume command in February 2011; he commanded BMU 1 until June 2012. Commander Nilsson assumed command of Naval Beach Unit SEVEN (NBU 7) on 01 August 2012.

His personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal (with three gold stars) and the Navy Achievement Medal (with two gold stars), along with various meritorious
unit and campaign ribbons.
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