Capt. Crooks is a native of San Diego, CA and commissioned via the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps program at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. A career surface warfare officer, he served at sea in destroyers, a cruiser, and a carrier strike group staff, culminating in command of guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey (DDG 97). Ashore, he served in various Navy headquarters staffs, as an exchange officer with the Royal Navy, and as director of the Prospective Commanding Officer course at Surface Warfare Schools Command. He is a two-time graduate of the Naval War College, and joined the faculty as a military professor in July 2024.