LCDR John Zhang Li

About

Lieutenant Commander John Li, US Navy, is a national security affairs fellow at the Hoover Institution for the 2024–25 academic year. As a surface warfare officer, he has served on various ships, including amphibious command ship, guided missile destroyer, and littoral combat ship, in roles including chief engineer, antisubmarine warfare officer, and electronic warfare officer, participating in operations across US Indo-Pacific Command, Central Command, and European Command.

As an assistant operations officer, he has also planned and executed numerous international exercises with Indo-Pacific navies. From 2018 to 2020, Li was part of the MIT-WHOI (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) Joint Program in Oceanography, earning an MS in mechanical engineering and conducting research at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory on unmanned vehicle autonomy.

Li graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and was commissioned through the Seaman to Admiral program. His personal awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and various unit and service awards.