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Aviator to become Naval Academy commandant

Capt. Matthew L. Klunder, a 1982 academy graduate and career naval aviator, has been tapped to be the Naval Academy’s 83rd commandant.

Klunder, scheduled to take the academy post next month, is currently assigned to the staff of the deputy chief of naval operations for information, plans and strategy.

He was designated a naval aviator in 1984, has served several operational tours flying the E-2C Hawkeye, and has served as commanding officer of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 115 —the Liberty Bells — and Carrier Air Wing 2.

Klunder also served as a joint staff liaison officer to the State Department, where he was the Middle East section chief for political-military affairs.

“[Klunder] was selected from a group of distinguished and highly qualified candidates,” said Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Adm. Jeffrey Fowler in a statement released Tuesday. “He is superbly qualified to lead the Brigade of Midshipmen and brings a substantial amount of operational and leadership experience to the position.”

Klunder will replace Capt. Margaret Klein, who has been selected for rear admiral. She will become operations officer, Naval Network Warfare Command in Norfolk, Va.

The commandant is the second-highest-ranking officer at the academy and is responsible for training, discipline and moral development of the school’s 4,300 midshipmen.