Commander Jason D. Wartell, a native of Merritt Island, Florida, joined the Navy in 1988.  After a year of enlisted service, he received orders to the United States Naval Academy where he graduated with distinction in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Engineering.  After commissioning, he attended the Georgia Institute of Technology and earned a Master of Science degree in Nuclear Engineering.

His initial sea tour was in USS TUNNY (SSN 682) from September 1996 to September 1997 and included a Western Pacific deployment. He was transferred to USS HAWKBILL (SSN 666) where he served until April 2000, completing two deployments to the Arctic Ocean.

After completing the Submarine Officer Advanced Course, he reported to USS HONOLULU (SSN 718) where he served as Engineer Officer from October 2000 to March 2003, completing two Western Pacific deployments.  Commander Wartell then served as the Submarine Operations Officer for ENTERPRISE Carrier Strike Group from April 2003 to July 2004 which included a deployment to the Arabian Gulf.  During his follow on shore duty, he served as the Senior Evaluation Officer at Naval Nuclear Power Training Unit in Charleston, SC from August 2004 to September 2006.

In January 2007, Commander Wartell reported as Executive Officer of USS ALASKA (SSBN 732) where he served for 22 months during a 28-month Engineered Refueling Overhaul.  In November 2008, he reported to U.S. Joint Forces Command where he served as the Nuclear Operations Officer until entering the submarine command training pipeline in September 2010.