James P. Waters

James P. Waters
Official portrait, 2024
Born1967 (age 5758)
AllegianceUnited States
BranchUnited States Navy
Years of service1989–present
RankRear Admiral
CommandsNavy Recruiting Command
Submarine Group 2
Submarine Squadron 4
USS Virginia (SSN-774)

James Preston Waters III (born 1967) is a United States Navy rear admiral who has served as commander of the Navy Recruiting Command since March 27, 2024. He most recently served as the Director of Military Personnel Plans and Policy of the U.S. Navy from 2021 to 2024. Previously, he served as the Commander of Submarine Group 2 from 2019 to 2021.

Raised in Ellington, Connecticut, Waters earned a B.S. degree in systems engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 1989. Awarded a W.H.G. FitzGerald Scholarship, he continued his education at Oxford University until 1991.