Austin Eckard of Sacramento is currently serving in the Navy. Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Josiah Trombley

SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - Petty Officer 2nd Class Austin Eckard, a Sacramento native, is one of the sailors serving aboard USS Henry M. Jackson, continuing the U.S. Navy’s 124-year tradition of service under the sea to help ensure Americans’ safety.

Eckard graduated from Highlands High School in 2020.

The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Sacramento, according to Eckard.

“The lessons I carry with me came from when I was becoming an Eagle Scout, are the importance of perseverance and hard work,” Eckard said. “I put in hundreds of hours of work on my own for my Eagle project. The wooden cross at Citrus Heights United Methodist Church, my Scout troop’s charter organization, was vandalized, so I replaced it with a steel one that couldn’t be vandalized. I’m a nuke and nukes have one of the hardest, if not the hardest, schools to go through and the longest. Being a mechanic has the shortest variant of nuke school and it was still a year and a half. That’s long hours and lots of studying. Pressing through all that and all of the hard work was definitely attributed to the perseverance I gained while working toward Eagle Scout.”

Eckard joined the Navy four years ago. Today, Eckard serves as a machinist’s mate (nuclear).

“I joined the Navy because I was figuring out something to do out of high school,” said Eckard. “In 2016, I had the chance to go to Pearl Harbor for the 75th anniversary of the attack. We toured all the Navy stuff out there and heard a lot of inspiring speeches. One of the speakers was Lou Conter, a USS Arizona survivor who was on the ship when it got hit. He retired from the Navy as a lieutenant commander. He was kind of an inspiration for me to do this. A lot of my family had been in the Air Force as well but I always liked the Navy more.”

Known as America’s “Apex Predators,” the Navy’s submarine force operates a large fleet of technically advanced vessels. These submarines are capable of conducting rapid defensive and offensive operations around the world, in furtherance of U.S. national security. A major component of that maritime security is homeported at Naval Base Kitsap, in Washington.

There are three basic types of submarines: fast-attack submarines (SSN), ballistic-missile submarines (SSBN) and guided-missile submarines (SSGN).

Fast-attack submarines are designed to hunt down and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships; strike targets ashore with cruise missiles; carry and deliver Navy SEALs; conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions; and engage in mine warfare. The Virginia-class SSN is the most advanced submarine in the world today. It combines stealth and payload capability to meet combatant commanders’ demands in this era of strategic competition.

The Navy’s ballistic-missile submarines, often referred to as “boomers,” serve as a strategic deterrent by providing an undetectable platform for submarine-launched ballistic missiles. SSBNs are designed specifically for stealth, extended patrols and the precise delivery of missiles. The Columbia-class SSBN will be the largest, most capable and most advanced submarine produced by the U.S. – replacing the current Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarines to ensure continuous sea-based strategic deterrence into the 2080s.

Guided-missile submarines provide the Navy with unprecedented strike and special operation mission capabilities from a stealthy, clandestine platform. Each SSGN is capable of carrying 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles, plus a complement of heavyweight torpedoes to be fired through four torpedo tubes.

Strategic deterrence is the nation’s ultimate insurance program, according to Navy officials. As a member of the submarine force, Eckard is part of a 124-year history of the U.S. Navy’s most versatile weapons platform, capable of taking the fight to the enemy in the defense of America and its allies.

The Pacific Submarine Force maximizes the Navy’s strengths of knowledge, stealth, agility, firepower and endurance.

“The men and women of the Pacific Submarine Force are among our best and brightest Americans,” said Rear Adm. Richard Seif, Commander, Submarine Force U.S. Pacific Fleet. “The pace of activity across the force is eye-watering and our ability to remain on-scene unseen is only possible due to their hard work and critical thinking. We are lethal, far-reaching and incredibly capable, and we deter aggression through our demonstrated advantage in the undersea domain.”

With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented individuals.

Eckard has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.

“I’m most proud of finishing nuke school,” said Eckard. “Nuke school has the highest attrition rate in the Navy and I experienced that because my roommates didn’t make it. So I take a lot of pride in finishing. I’m also proud of earning my ‘dolphins’ or submarine warfare device. The submarine force is an all-volunteer force, a small and tight-knit community. The dolphins are what signifies that you’re part of that community and that I earned my place in the community. I take a lot of pride in that. There’s only one other submariner in my family that I know of, my great uncle who served aboard USS Sam Rayburn and recently passed away.”

Eckard takes pride in serving the country through military service.

“For me, serving in the Navy is just a job,” said Eckard. “However, being on a ballistic-missile submarine also means I am directly part of protecting the country. Strategic deterrence is the No. 1 Department of Defense mission and we are the most survivable leg of the nuclear triad.”

Eckard is planning for the future after his service with the Navy.

“I want to be an engineer when I get out of the Navy,” Eckard said. “My dream job is working at NASA.”