XENIA — Todd Schafer’s civilian career with the Navy took another step forward.

The Xenia native was named the acting assistant secretary of the Navy (Energy, Installations and Environment) in January. In his new position, Schafer will be the principal advisor to the Secretary of the Navy on delivering fleet readiness and combat lethality through modernized shore infrastructure and test and training ranges.

“I have the wonderful opportunity to be in this position to help reinforce the Navy’s dedication to energy security, and put focus on our impact to the environment and installation resiliency,” Schafer said. “In this job, my team and I balance the many requirements for DON’s readiness with our responsibility to good stewardship.”

Schafer is also responsible for the oversight and policy for Navy and Marine Corps facilities’ sustainment, restoration and modernization; military construction; acquisition, utilization and disposal of real property and facilities; environmental protection, planning, restoration and natural resources conservation; and safety and occupational health; and recurring, independent, objective, and timely reviews of the Department of the Navy’s Public Private Partnerships.

He he has been working for the Department of the Navy since September 2014, when he was the executive director and chief of staff for the United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) in Pearl Harbor.

“I was an enabler providing concise and consistent guidance and assistance, and continuously identifying ways to improve processes and procedures to increase efficiency and effectiveness. I was the interface between the USPACFLT staff and the commander/deputy commander,” Schafer said. “I supported USPACFLT directorates, numbered fleet commanders, type commanders, regional commanders and direct reporting organizations in the execution of their responsibilities. I supported the commander in carrying out responsibilities to integrate fleet resources and readiness.”

Schafer added that he was also responsible for providing accurate assessments of fleet readiness to the chief of naval operations (CNO), vice CNO, deputy CNOs and other senior Navy leaders and communicating the USPACFLT position on planning, programming, budget, and execution (PPBE) matters to the vice CNO and CNO.

In September 2020, Schafer started as the principal deputy assistant secretary of the Navy (Energy, Installations and Environment). In this role, he assisted the previous assistant secretary of the Navy (Energy, Installations and Environment) in delivering the previously-mentioned items.

Schafer’s full-time career began in June 1989. He worked for the Department of the Air Force from 1989 to 2007, and from 2007 to 2014 Schafer worked for the Department of the Army.

While serving as the executive director and chief of staff at USPACFLT, Schafer developed operational plans and strategies to optimize resource utilization of more than $14 billion as well as 111,000 active duty and reserve uniformed sailors, 21,000 civilian sailors, and 11,000 contractor sailors.

As the executive director, Schafer led all RMAP Train, Advise, and Assist (TAA) operations and all planning, programming, budgeting, and execution of resources supporting the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF).

Schafer directed multinational forces daily in providing TAA functions to the Afghan ministries of defense, interior, and finance.

“While serving as the Executive Director of Resources and Assessments at United States Southern Command in Miami, Fl, I was the resource leader, for the largest, at that time, Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief mission in Department of Defense (DoD) history, responsible for remediation of the 2010 earthquake devastation of Haiti – Operation UNIFIED RESPONSE,” Schafer said. “Also while at USSOUTHCOM, I increased the Command’s annual budget by approximately 60 percent to a total of $1 billion and oversaw the use of the budget to resource forces attached to the Command throughout its Area of Responsibility, included three Joint Task Forces and 24 Security Cooperation Offices at American embassies.”

Schafer graduated from Xenia High School in 1985.