A retired nuclear submarine officer, Brad Swanbeck last served as special projects lead for the commanding officer of Submarine Base New London. In this role, he oversaw the maintenance of barges and cranes among other key base interest items. After the onset of COVID-19, he created and led the base's cross-functional team tasked with modifying virtually every day-to-day operation during the pandemic. Additionally, his team planned and executed the base-wide distribution of the vaccinations, which included the creation of an unprecedented partnership with the Connecticut National Guard for vaccine delivery.

Previously, Brad Swanbeck served as commanding officer of the fast attack nuclear submarine USS MONTPELIER, where he led a crew of 150 professional mariners and engineers. In command, he led his ship through a $300 million, 21-month shipyard maintenance period as well as executing the first-ever Fleet Modular Autonomous Unmanned Vehicle (FMUAV) launch from a submarine. Prior to his time in command, he served on several nuclear submarines in roles ranging from second-in-command to the chief engineering officer. On shore, he served as the Executive Assistant for the Director of Maritime Headquarters at the United States Fleet Forces Command, where he worked on policy and budgeting issues at the Navy-wide level. Additionally, as an officer with the operations analysis subspecialty rating, he created and led detailed studies to assess potential technology investments while working at naval headquarters in DC.

CDR (ret) Swanbeck holds a bachelor's in mechanical engineering from the US Naval Academy in addition to a master's in business from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He holds a certificate in operations analysis from the Naval Postgraduate School and is a graduate of the Maritime Staff Operators Course (MSOC), in addition to various schools and professional programs.