Derek L. Stalnecker hails from Mount Dora, Florida. A graduate of Mount Dora High School and then Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida he commissioned in the Marine Corps in August of 2011. October 2013, he attended The Basic School and was stationed at MCAS Cherry Point upon completion. Shortly after arrival, he reported to Military Occupational Specialty school in Milton, Florida where he received his designation as an Aircraft Maintenance Officer.
In May of 2015, First Lieutenant Stalnecker reported to Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 4 (VMAQ-4) as the Maintenance Material Control Officer. During his tenure, First Lieutenant Stalnecker successfully completed four inspections, two of which were Commander of Naval Air Forces inspections, five detachments to Weapons and Tactics Instructor courses, and two Red Flag detachments. First Lieutenant Stalnecker deployed with VMAQ-4 to Incirlik, Turkey in support of OPERATION INHERENT RESOLVE to support special operations missions along the border of Syria before executing orders to his B-billet to Security Forces.
In July of 2017, following the decommissioning of VMAQ-4, Captain Stalnecker reported to Marine Corps Security Forces Kings Bay, GA. As a platoon commander, he facilitated the training and qualifications of his platoon of 94 Marines, molding a dynamic maneuver force with medium machine guns and High Explosive Dual Purpose weaponry. After two years as a platoon commander, Captain Stalnecker was selected to be the Executive Officer (XO) of Alpha Company. As the XO, Captain Stalnecker was responsible for the completion of training and readiness for five platoons comprised of 350 Marines and Sailors. While serving with Security Forces, Captain Stalnecker stood and completed two successful Nuclear Weapons inspections. Captain Stalnecker proceeded to his next duty station upon selection for Expeditionary Warfare School, attending from July 2020 to May 2021.
Upon graduation from Expeditionary Warfare School, Captain Stalnecker reported to MALS-26 in July 2021 to fill the billet as the Assistant Aircraft Maintenance Officer. During his year-long tenure he completed an Aviation Logistics Maintenance Assessment Team inspection, earning the highest grade in 2d MAW, and was an integral part of increasing the mission capability readiness rate of MAG-26 MV-22's from 60% to 71%. Upon completion of his duties, Captain Stalnecker received orders to 2d MAW Aviation Logistics Department (ALD) to fill the billet of ALD Plans Officer.
During Major Stalnecker's tenure at 2d MAW ALD, he assumed the role of Program Lead for Marine Corps Pre-Positioning-Norway (MCPP-N) for the Aviation Sub-Group of HQMC Logistics Plans and Operations branch-2 and the T-AVB-3 SS WRIGHT. As the lead for MCPP-N, Major Stalnecker oversaw the maintenance and preservation of over 1,000 Ground Support Equipment assets that supported multiple MEU's and 2d MAW exercises within the EUCOM area of operations. As the T-AVB-3 program lead, he oversaw eight successful training evolutions, accomplishing training objectives for three Marine Aviation Logistics Squadrons and two successful activations of the ship to provide Intermediate Maintenance Activity capabilities afloat. Additionally, his involvement as the lead Aviation Logistics (AVLOG) planner for ALD, he assisted in the creation of the Distributed Aviation Operations (DAO) tactical Standard Operating Procedure and warfighting instructions for AVLOG considerations. Major Stalnecker was selected to attend Marine corps Command and Staff College for his next duty station; he attended and graduated, then executed orders to MALS-26 as the Operations Officer.
His personal awards include: Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal (2 gold stars) and a Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal.