Michael Jabaley is a Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of the Navy, supporting the Australia, United Kingdom, United States (AUKUS) trilateral agreement to provide conventionally-armed, nuclear- powered submarines to Australia.

Prior to this he was the Principal for Department of Defense Strategy (USN/USMC) at Amazon Web Services, a position he held from September 2021 to October 2023. He is also the founder and owner of Jabaley Defense Consulting, LLC, and was active as an Independent Consultant from 2018 to 2021. He retired as a Rear Admiral in October 2018 after a 34-year career in Submarines and Navy acquisition. He has extensive operational and procurement experience including at the highest classification levels. Jabaley’s sea tours included assignments aboard USS Drum (SSN 677), USS Ohio (SSBN 726), USS City of Corpus Christi (SSN 705) and command of USS Louisville (SSN 724). Significant shore tours included on the staff of Director, Naval Reactors; on the staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and duty in the Virginia Class Submarine Program Office from 2006 to 2012, the last four years as program manager. Jabaley’s flag assignments included NAVSEA Vice Commander, NAVSEA Deputy Commander for Undersea Warfare, and command of Naval Undersea Warfare Center. Jabaley was selected for his second star in March 2015 and relieved as Program Executive Officer (PEO) Submarines in October 2015, where his portfolio included the Columbia SSBN and Virginia SSN programs, the 2nd and 3rd largest programs in the Department of Defense.