The Naval War College is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associated roles and missions, supports combat readiness, and strengthens global maritime partnerships.
United States Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) is the United States Navy element of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM). Its area of responsibility includes the Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, Persian Gulf, and Arabian Sea. It consists of the United States Fifth Fleet and several other subordinate task forces, including Combined Task Force 150, Combined Task Force 158 and others.
Joseph Devereux Kernan is a retired United States Navy vice admiral and the former under secretary of defense for intelligence. His last military assignment was serving as the military deputy commander of the United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), Miami, Florida, from May 23, 2011, to September 2013. He was the second-in-command of one of nine unified commands under the Department of Defense.
Thomas L. Brown II was a retired United States Navy officer and the first Navy officer to command Special Operations Command South, based in Homestead Joint Air Reserve Base, Florida.
Philip Gardner Howe III is a retired United States Navy vice admiral and Navy SEAL. His assignment prior to retirement in 2019 was associate director for military affairs at the Central Intelligence Agency. He previously served as the 55th President of the Naval War College, and was the first SEAL officer to hold this assignment. Prior to that, Howe was the Commander, Special Operations Command Pacific.
Timothy Gerard "Tim" Szymanski is a retired United States Navy vice admiral who last served as deputy commander of United States Special Operations Command from October 15, 2018 to December 2021. He is the former commander of United States Naval Special Warfare Command in Coronado, California.
Christopher Watson Grady is a United States Navy admiral who is currently serving as the 12th vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff since December 20, 2021.
Alexander L. Krongard is a retired United States Navy SEAL. He retired from the United States Navy as a rear admiral in 2016 after 31 years of military service. He served as the Deputy Commander of United States Africa Command and previously commanded Naval Special Warfare Group ONE.
Keith Bently Davids is a retired American United States Navy special warfare officer with the rank of rear admiral. He served as the commander of Naval Special Warfare Command from 2022 to 2024. He was the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command South, United States Southern Command from 2020 to 2022. Previously, he served as director of the White House Military Office during the Presidency of Donald Trump. Earlier in his career, he was commanding officer of the Naval Special Warfare Center and SEAL Team One.
Frank Dixon Whitworth III is an active duty United States Navy vice admiral and career intelligence officer who serves as the eighth director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency since June 3, 2022. He most recently served as the Director for Intelligence of the Joint Staff.
Colin James Kilrain is a retired United States Navy vice admiral who last served as the assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 20, 2021 to February 2023. He previously served as the associate director for military affairs (ADMA) for the Central Intelligence Agency from 2019 to 2021. He is the former commander of Special Operations Command Pacific and Naval Special Warfare Group Two.
Vice Admiral Mark David Hammond, is a senior officer in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), serving as the Chief of Navy since July 2022. He joined the RAN as an electronics technician in 1986 and, after being accepted for officer training, graduated from the Australian Defence Force Academy in 1990. Much of Hammond's career has been spent in the Submarine Service. He has served on operations in the Indo-Pacific, commanded the Collins-class submarineHMAS Farncomb, was Deputy Chief of Navy from 2018 to 2020, and served as Commander Australian Fleet from November 2020 to June 2022. He succeeded Vice Admiral Michael Noonan as Chief of Navy on 6 July 2022.
Richard John Cheeseman Jr. is a United States Navy vice admiral and surface warfare officer who has served as the deputy chief of naval operations for personnel, manpower, and training and 60th Chief of Naval Personnel since June 3, 2022. He previously served as a special assistant to the Commander, United States Fleet Forces Command, and prior to that was commander of Carrier Strike Group 10 from December 14, 2020 to April 6, 2022. He has also commanded Carrier Strike Group 2 with tours as commanding officer of the USS Bulkeley (DDG-84) and USS Monterey (CG-61).
Milton James Sands III is a United States Navy rear admiral and Navy SEAL who has served as commander of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command since July 26, 2024. He most recently served as the chief of staff of United States Special Operations Command from 2023 to 2024. He served as the commander of Special Operations Command Africa from 2021 to 2023. Prior to that he served as commander of the Naval Service Training Command from 2019 to 2021. Prior to that, he served as vice president of the Joint Special Operations University from 2018 to 2019, with prior tours as commodore of Naval Special Warfare Group 2 from 2016 to 2018 and commander of Seal Team 8.
Frank Mitchell Bradley is a United States Navy vice admiral and commander of Joint Special Operations Command since August 10, 2022. He most recently served as the commander of Special Operations Command Central from July 20, 2020 to July 1, 2022. Prior to that, he served as the assistant commander of Joint Special Operations Command from 2018 to 2020.
Christopher C. French is a United States Navy rear admiral who serves as the Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Navy since August 18, 2021. A career judge advocate, French was commissioned into the Navy via the JAG Corps Student Program in 1992, graduating from the University of New Hampshire in 1990, the Villanova University School of Law in 1993 and from the Georgetown University Law Center with an L.L.M. degree in 2004.
