Lieutenant Colonel Carey, a native of New York, commissioned from the United States Naval Academy in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science degree in English Literature. After completion of The Basic School in December 2008 he was designated an Aircraft Maintenance Officer and assigned to MALS-26, Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River.
Second Lieutenant Carey served as a Division Officer at MALS-26 before reporting to VMM-266 to serve as the Assistant Aircraft Maintenance Officer. In this billet, Second Lieutenant Carey deployed aboard the USS Kearsarge in support of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit from November 2010 until May 2011. On deployment, First Lieutenant Carey supported Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations in Pakistan and combat operations in Libya as part of Operations Odyssey Dawn and Unified Protector.
In October 2011, First Lieutenant Carey reported to MALS-26 and was assigned as the Assistant Aircraft Maintenance Officer. In June 2012, he was promoted to Captain and reported to the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey, California. At NPS, Captain Carey earned a Master’s of Science in Electrical Engineering and completed the Expeditionary Warfare School distance education program. Upon graduation from NPS in June 2014, Captain Carey reported to Marine Corps Systems Command on board MCB Quantico where he was assigned as a lead system engineer for a portfolio of communications equipment.
In July 2016, Captain Carey reported to MALS-29 where he was assigned as the Operations Officer and Logistics Officer during a period of staffing shortages. In mid-2017, Captain Carey was reassigned as the Assistant Operations Officer for the remainder of the tour.
In July 2018, Major Carey reported to the F-35 Joint Program Office in Crystal City, VA to serve as the Deputy Assistant Program Manager Logistics for the F-35B platform.
In July 2021, Major Carey reported to Command and Staff College at MCB Quantico and successfully completed his resident professional military education before reporting to MCAS Iwakuni, Japan in June 2022. Lieutenant Colonel Carey served as the Executive Officer of MALS-12 until May of 2024 and then served as the MAG-12 Executive Officer until May 2025.
Lieutenant Colonel Carey personal awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, three Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.