Brigadier General Smith currently serves as the Deputy Commanding General, I Marine Expeditionary Force.
Brigadier General Smith is a native of Medway, Maine and a graduate of Colby College. Upon graduation, he worked in Marketing Consulting until enlisting in the Marine Corps in February 1998 and serving as an infantryman with 3rd Battalion 7th Marines. He was commissioned through the Enlisted Commissioning Program in April 1999 and was designated a Naval Aviator in October 2001. He reported to HMM(T)-164 for initial CH-46E training in November 2001.
His operational tours include service with HMM-162 where he served in the operations department and deployed in support of OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM I with 2d MEB/3d MAW and as part of the 26th MEU (SOC) ACE in support of the Landing Force 6th Fleet (LF6F) and OIF. In 2006, he transitioned to the MV-22 tiltrotor and transferred to VMM-162 where he deployed in support of OIF 08.01, attended the Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) course, and deployed with the 24th MEU in support of HA/DR efforts in Haiti during OPERATION UNIFIED RESPONSE and combat operations in the Central Command Area of Responsibility. In 2014, he returned to VMM-162 to serve as the aircraft maintenance officer and executive officer for the squadron’s 2015-2016 deployment with the 26th MEU. From 2022-2023 he served as the Director of Operations (G-3) for Task Force 51/5 (5th MEB) aboard NSA Bahrain.
His staff and supporting establishment tours include Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 29 future operations planner; MAWTS-1 Instructor Pilot, MV-22 Division Head, and Assault Support Department Head; MAG-26 Executive Officer; Joint Staff J-8, Force Application Division (FAD), Air and Space Dominance Branch Head.
Brigadier General Smith commanded VMMT-204 and Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1).
He is a graduate of the WTI Course, EWS (Non-Resident Seminar), Marine Corps Command and Staff (Non-Resident Seminar), Naval Command and Staff College (Resident- with distinction), and the National War College (Resident). He holds M.A.s in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College and National Security Studies from the National War College.