Keynote Speaker

The Navy SEAL Museum is honored to welcome this year’s keynote speaker Commander (SEAL) Donald “Kim” Erskine, USN (Ret.) to the 38th Annual Muster.

Donald “Kim” Erskine

CDR (SEAL) U.S.N. (Ret.)

Commander Erskine enlisted in the Navy in July 1969. Following boot camp, he completed Radioman A School before reporting to BUD/S Class 58 in May 1970. Following his graduation from BUD/S, he received orders to Underwater Demolition Team TWELVE (UDT-12). While at UDT-12, he completed two tours of duty in Vietnam. In January 1974, after his second tour in Vietnam, he became a plank owner in the first UDT/SEAL Reserve Unit, UDT/SEAL PAC (Pacific) 119. While attached to UDT/SEAL PAC 119, his full-time civilian job was with the Park City, UT Professional Ski Patrol. In his spare time, he attended classes at the University of Utah.

Following his graduation from the University of Utah in June 1979, he returned to active duty, attending Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI. Receiving his commission as an Ensign in December 1979, he received orders to UDT-11.

While at UDT-11 he made two deployments to WESTPAC as a Seal Delivery Vehicle (SDV) Platoon Assistant Officer-in-Charge (AOIC) and SDV Platoon Officer-in-Charge (OIC). Returning to UDT-11 in May 1983, after his second SDV deployment, LT Erskine became a plank owner in SEAL Team FIVE when UDT-11 was decommissioned and became a SEAL Team. He reported for duty at SEAL Team SIX in June 1983 where he served as Gold Team Assault Element Leader, Red Team Assault Element Leader, Green Team Leader, Gold Team Leader and Operations Officer.

In June 1986, LT Erskine reported to Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA. Graduating in 1988 with a Masters Degree in National Security Affairs, Middle East and North Africa Area Specialty, which included Arabic and French language training at the Defense Language Institute, he reported for staff duty to Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command (COMNAVSPECWARCOM). Upon receipt of orders in May 1990, he reported for duty at Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR), Stuttgart, Germany. At SOCEUR he deployed as a member of Joint and Combined Special Operations Task Forces in support of Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Provide Comfort. In May 1992, LCDR Erskine was selected to be the Executive Officer (XO) for SOCEUR’s Navy Special Operations Force (NAVSOF) component, Naval Special Warfare Unit TWO (NSWU-2), in Machrihanish, Scotland. In January 1994, CDR Erskine was selected to be the Commanding Officer (CO) of NSWU-2. As the Commanding Officer of NSWU-2, he led SOCEUR NAVSOF in the planning and execution of Joint Special Operations Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) missions in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia, and a Non-Combatant Evacuation (NEO) mission to evacuate besieged U.S. Embassy personnel and third-country nationals caught up in the civil war in Liberia. His military decorations include the Silver Star, Purple Heart, Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal and multiple campaign and expeditionary medals.

CDR Erskine and his family retired to their farm in Maine in September 1996. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Mr. Erskine worked as contractor and Federal employee with the newly formed Department of Homeland Security until 2017. He currently works for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory where he supports NATO’s Energy Planning Group as an Energy Security and Civil-military Relations Expert. He also supports the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (DHS/CISA) National Risk Management Center (NRMC) as a Senior Infrastructure Resilience and Threat Analysis Specialist. Mr. Erskine and his wife, Dr. Leslie Henry, reside in Portland, ME.