degree in military studies from the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, an M.S.

In 2007, he took command of Amphibious Squadron EIGHT (embarked onboard USS Kearsarge), receiving the honorary title of Commodore.

[5] This period saw him engaged as Mission Commander of anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia; Operation Sea Angel II providing relief hurricane relief efforts in Bangladesh; and Operation Continuing Promise which included additional relief efforts in hurricane ravaged Haiti.

[5][8] In April 2015 his appointment as the fifteenth commandant of Joint Task Force Guantanamo was announced.

[10] In the 2024 United States presidential election, Ponds endorsed Kamala Harris.