Captain Philip E. Old assumed the duties of the Chief of Staff of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California in October 2019.

Prior to his present assignment, Captain Old served as the Director of Assessments (N3E) for Commander, Navy Installations Command headquartered in Washington D.C. where his responsibilities included certification of installation Navy Security Forces worldwide and operational exercises and training for the Navy shore enterprise.

Previously, he served as the Operations Director (N3) for Commander, Navy Region Europe, Africa and Southwest Asia headquartered in Naples, Italy where he was responsible for executing shore operations and direct mission support at nine installations as well as oversight and direction for the port operations, air operations, security, fire & emergency services, safety, exercises & assessments, and emergency management programs.

From October 2012 to October 2014, Captain Old was the Director of the Joint Guam Program Office (Forward), planning and executing an $8.6 billion dollar multi-year program to relocate USMC forces to Guam from Okinawa.  Previously, he served as the Assistant Chief of Staff for Theater Security Cooperation and Engagement for the Commander, U.S. SEVENTH FLEET, forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan from 2009 to 2012.  In this role, he was the principal policy adviser to the SEVENTH FLEET Commander and was responsible for the planning and coordination of all foreign engagement activities with allied and partner navies in the Western Pacific region including Flag engagement, Fleet Staff Talks, over 120 combined exercises per year and the annual PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP mission.

In August 2009, Captain Old was recalled to permanent active duty from the Naval Reserve Component where he held command four times.  His final Navy Reserve assignment was Commanding Officer of NR SEALOGEUR 102, providing operational support to the Commander, Sealift Logistics Command Europe / Commander Task Force 63 in Naples, Italy and training to three Expeditionary Port Units assigned by Military Sealift Command to the EUCOM and AFRICOM AORs.

Captain Old’s other Navy Reserve command assignments included Commanding Officer of NR USCENTCOM IMA Detachment at MacDill AFB where he was responsible for providing Navy Reserve operational support to the USCENTCOM AOR while assigned to the J1 directorate; Commanding Officer of Mobile Inshore Undersea Warfare Unit (MIUWU) 114, a commissioned unit, at Whiteman AFB; and Commanding Officer of NR Naval Station Pearl Harbor SCR Det 316. 

Other Navy Reserve assignments included Executive Officer of NR Battle Group Staff Eight in support of Commander, Cruiser Destroyer Group Eight, Operations Officer of MIUWU 213, Executive Officer and Training Officer of NR Commander Second Fleet Staff 113 and Executive Officer and Training Officer of NR Weapons Station Yorktown HQ 113.

Captain Old was commissioned through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) program at Marquette University in 1986.  After completion of Surface Warfare Officer School and Engineering Officer of the Watch School, he reported to USS ANCHORAGE (LSD 36) where he served as Main Propulsion Division Officer and Damage Control Assistant. While onboard USS ANCHORAGE, he qualified as a Surface Warfare Officer and twice deployed to the Western Pacific.

Captain Old earned a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola University of Chicago in 1993 and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Marquette University in 1986. His personal decorations include the Legion of Merit (2 Gold Stars), Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal (2 Gold Stars) and Navy Achievement Medal and is more proud of his Sea Service Deployment ribbons.

In his civilian career, he was an attorney engaged in private practice concentrating in complex civil litigation in Chicago, Illinois where he resided with his wife, Sherri.