Commodore Melissa Ross joined the Royal New Zealand Navy in February 1993 as a Marine Engineering Officer, serving in HMNZ Ships Manawanui, Southland, Waikato, Wellington, Te Kaha and the Logistics Ship, Canterbury. Commodore Ross has held a wealth of positions throughout her years in the Navy, ranging from Private Secretary to the Minister of Defence, to the role of Navy Engineering subject matter expert within the Logistics Change Project. Most recently however, Commodore Ross took up her current role as the Deputy Chief of Navy in December 2019.