Commander

CAPTAIN Darryl P. Arfsten, USN

MEDICAL CORPS, US NAVY

COMMANDER, NAVY AND MARINE CORPS FORCE HEALTH PROTECTION COMMAND

Captain Darryl P. Arfsten hails from Springfield, Illinois and earned his undergraduate degree in Environmental Biology from Eastern Illinois University, a Masters in Toxicology from the University of Illinois, and a Ph.D. in Toxicology from the University of Maryland at Baltimore.  He is a prior member of both the Illinois and Maryland Army National Guard serving 13 years as an active drilling Guardsman.  Captain Arfsten received a direct commission into the US Navy as a Lieutenant as a biochemist in the Medical Service Corps in December of 2000.

Captain Arfsten is married to Jeanna Arfsten, his wife of 33 years and they have two children, Dana (25 years old) and Kurt (22 years old), and they both currently work and live in Jacksonville, Florida.  Jeanna is a schoolteacher who most recently taught 6^th grade Social Studies and English for Onslow County, North Carolina.  Captain Arfsten’ s parents, Douglas and Donna Arfsten, reside in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas and Douglas is a Navy veteran who served onboard the DDE 507 USS Cony as an Electronic Technician from 1962 to 1966.

Captain Arfsten has served as a biochemist and Plans, Operations, and Medical Intelligence officer during his career.  He served as a biochemist at the Naval Health Research Center Detachment, Wight Patterson AFB, and Navy Drug Screening Laboratory Jacksonville, Florida and as a POMI officer for 3d Marine Logistics Group, Okinawa and Deputy Surgeon, Marine Forces Reserve Headquarters, New Orleans, Louisiana.  Captain Arfsten also served as an Embedded Training Team member, NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan (NTM-A) from 2009 to 2010.

Captain Arfsten has served in various Executive Medicine positions including Executive Officer of Field Medical Training Battalion East, Commanding Officer Navy Drug Screening Laboratory Jacksonville, Commanding Officer 3d Medical Battalion Okinawa, and Commanding Officer Expeditionary Medical Facility-Kilo, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

In June 2025 he assumed the role as Commander, Navy and Marine Corps Force Health Protection Command and Director, Defense Center for Public Health Portsmouth and is responsible for ten commands providing public health support to US military forces across the globe.

He has received the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (4th award), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (4th award) and other personal decorations.