Patrick M. McCarthy is an American lawyer and officer in the United States Navy. He was appointed Commander on July 12, 2001. He was appointed Captain on May 23, 2006. Captain McCarthy was Staff Judge Advocate in Okinawa, Japan from November 1992 until July 1995, legal advisor to the Commandant of Midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy from July 1995 to August 1997, Staff Judge Advocate to the Iceland Defense Force from June 1998 to July 2001, Staff Judge Advocate of Joint Task Force Guantanamo from May 2006 to July 2008, and in 2010 was Staff Judge advocate to Joint Task Force 435 (TF 435), which is responsible for U.S. detention policy in Afghanistan.