Captain Johnson is a native of Lynchburg, Virginia and attended the Virginia Military Institute, graduating in May 1996. Upon graduation, he reported to the Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida, where he was commissioned in September 1996. After receiving his wings in May 1998, he reported to HC-3 in San Diego for H-46 fleet replacement training.
Captain Johnson's sea duty assignments include one tour flying the HH-46D with HC-8 in Norfolk, Virginia, one tour flying the MH-60S with HSC-28, also in Norfolk, Virginia, and a disassociated sea tour as "Mini Boss," onboard USS TARAWA (LHA-1) homeported in San Diego, California. Additionally, then Commander Johnson served as the seventh Commanding Officer of the U.S. Navy’s finest combat aviation squadron, HELICOPTER SEA COMBAT SQUADRON TWO THREE, “The Wildcards,” stationed onboard NAS North Island, California. Captain Johnson’s most recent sea duty assignment was as the Chief of Staff for Carrier Strike Group SEVEN, also homeported in San Diego. Throughout his sea tours, he deployed to the Western Pacific, Arabian Gulf, and Mediterranean Sea.
Captain Johnson's shore tours include Fleet Replacement Instructor duty at HC-3 serving as a Flight Instructor in the MH-60S. He served his second shore tour at the Air Command and Staff College in Montgomery, Alabama, and his third shore tour as the Helicopter Sea Assignments Officer in Millington, Tennessee. During his tour at the Bureau of Naval Personnel, CAPT Johnson completed a 14-month Individual Augmentee assignment to Afghanistan. While there, he was the Officer-in-Charge of 22 Tactical Document and Media Exploitation teams assigned to Regional Command East and Regional Command Southwest. Additionally, Captain Johnson served onboard the U.S. Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Brussels, Belgium, as the Deputy Director of the Defense Operations Directorate and Defense Operations Policy Advisor to the U.S. Ambassador to NATO and the Secretary of Defense Representative in Europe. Prior to his time at National Defense University, Captain Johnson’s most recent shore tour was as the Chief of Staff to the Commander of Allied Maritime Air Forces, NATO, in Northwood, England.
CAPT Johnson has an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from VMI and holds three master’s degrees: the first in Military Operational Arts and Sciences from the U.S. Air Force Air Command and Staff College, the second in International Relations from King’s College London, and a third in National Security Studies from the National War College, where Captain Johnson was recognized as a distinguished graduate.
His decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal (2), the Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation (3) and Achievement (4) Medals, and several campaign and service ribbons. He has amassed more than 3,400 flight hours, provided by the selfless dedication of hundreds of aviation maintenance personnel. Captain Johnson is married to the former Ms. Kristen Gibson, a licensed real estate agent from San Diego, California. Together, they have two amazing sons, Patrick (19), a Third Class Cadet at VMI, and Elliot (17), a senior at Robinson High School.