Professor Hernandez joined the Naval War College faculty in 2015 and served in the Joint Military Operations Department as the JMO Chairman before retiring as a Navy Captain in 2019 and joining the College of Distance Education faculty in 2020. He holds a Master of Arts degree in national security affairs from the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, California, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the former commanding officer of USS Patriot (MCM-7), USS Millius (DDG-69) and Mine Countermeasures Squadron Three. His shore assignments include serving on the Navy Staff at the Pentagon and Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa.