Updated at 2 p.m. May 7, 2015
A former “Marine One” helicopter pilot for President George W. Bush has been hired by U-T San Diego for a more prosaic mission: Help elevate the newspaper’s circulation.
The paper announced Tuesday that Bryan M. Smylie, a 20-year Marine Corps veteran, will be the media company’s first director of military liaison.
He’ll report to Harry Woldt, vice president for circulation, distribution and operations, U-T spokeswoman Stephanie Brown told Times of San Diego.
“I am pleased to be part of the U-T team,” said Smylie, who holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial design from Western Michigan University. He retired from the Marines in January with the rank of major. “I look forward to working closely with my new colleagues to enhance our support for San Diego’s vast military community.”
Smylie, 43, lives in Pacific Beach with his wife and a 10-year-old daughter.
Brown said: “The San Diego military will benefit from this new relationship by having stronger contacts, connections and ties with … U-T San Diego, our marketing reach, our events, advertisers and circulation department.”
She said the U-T helps nonprofits raise money “and hopes to do the same for participating military branches and units.”
San Diego’s military community can also look for discounted subscriptions.
“We will have a variety of offers,” Brown said. “We are working on those now.”
In his LinkedIn profile, Smylie calls himself a “transitioning Marine Corps officer and veteran with 20 years of leadership experience. Hand-picked Presidential Helicopter Pilot and White House Presidential Helicopter Advance Officer for the President and Vice President of the United States, VIPs and Foreign Heads of State, like Queen Elizabeth II.”
He held the title of chief of staff for strategic plans “for over 17,000 diverse professionals, 450 aircraft and an $840 million annual budget” for the 3d Marine Aircraft Wing based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.
He also said he had a top-secret security clearance.
U-T president and editor Jeff Light said: “The director of military liaison role is extremely important and influential, and we recognize that it could only be filled by an individual with superior military credentials, a stellar reputation, and deep institutional knowledge of all branches of the service.”
He said Smylie’s hiring represents the culmination of a long-term strategy.
“We are confident that he will excel in all of his objectives, as we seek to grow our subscriber base and increase advertising opportunities within the military community.”
Smylie will have no newsroom or editorial role, spokeswoman Brown said.
But she said: “We are committed to covering the topics that are most important to our community. We recommend the Times readers to review our Military and Defense coverage in the U-T San Diego Sunday newspaper for exclusive military content and information.”
Smylie is far from the first military officer with a high U-T title.
Famed Marine Lt. Gen. Victor H. “Brute” Krulak was a top newsroom executive in The San Diego Union under the ownership of James Copley in the 1960s and 1970s. He died in 2008 at age 95 in San Diego.
Smylie’s mission, Brown said, is to “further enhance and strengthen our military connections and relations within the community.”
Brown said she knew of no other media companies with a similar role.
U-T San Diego, now owned by real-estate developer “Papa” Doug Manchester, has suffered steady circulation declines in recent years and is entertaining purchase offers.