Frank Dixon Whitworth III[1] (born June 17, 1967)[2][3][4] 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.[5][6][7]

Frank D. Whitworth
8th Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
Assumed office
June 3, 2022
PresidentJoe Biden
DeputyTonya Wilkerson
Preceded byRobert D. Sharp
Personal details
Born (1967-06-17) June 17, 1967 (age 57)
Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
RelationsDarse Crandall (brother-in-law)
Education
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Navy
Years of service1989–present
RankVice Admiral
Commands
Awards

Early life and education

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Born in Richmond, Virginia,[2] Whitworth is a 1989 graduate of Duke University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He holds a Master of Arts in National Security Studies from Georgetown University, as well as a Diploma from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.

Military career

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Whitworth's command tours included Commander, Joint Intelligence Center Central; commanding officer, Navy Element of U.S. Central Command; and commanding officer, Kennedy Irregular Warfare Center.

Whitworth's operational tours included director of intelligence for U.S. Africa Command, director of intelligence for Joint Special Operations Command, director of intelligence and deputy director of Maritime Operations Center for Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. Fifth Fleet; director of intelligence for a Special Operations Task Force in Afghanistan during three deployments supporting Operation Enduring Freedom; director of intelligence for Naval Special Warfare Development Group; special assistant for Political-Military Affairs at U.S. Sixth Fleet during Operation Allied Force; indications and warning Officer at U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. Fifth Fleet, in support of Operation Desert Storm; and intelligence officer for Fighter Squadron 31 during USS Forrestal's deployment in support of Operation Provide Comfort.

Whitworth's shore-based tours included the National Security Agency as chief of targets for the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility; Navy federal executive fellow to American Enterprise Institute; senior duty officer at the White House Situation Room; intelligence briefer for the Chief of Naval Operations and Secretary of the Navy; and intelligence watch analyst at the Office of Naval Intelligence and the National Military Joint Intelligence Center.

In July 2021, he was nominated and confirmed for promotion to vice admiral.[8] He was promoted to his present rank on July 30, 2021.[9]

Awards and decorations

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Information Warfare Dominance Officer insignia
Defense Superior Service Medal with two bronze oak leaf clusters
Legion of Merit Bronze Star Medal with three gold award stars Defense Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Meritorious Service Medal with award star Joint Service Commendation Medal Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with award star
Joint Service Achievement Medal Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal Combat Action Ribbon
Navy Presidential Unit Citation Joint Meritorious Unit Award with four oak leaf clusters Navy Unit Commendation
Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation with one bronze service star DIA Director's Award[10] National Defense Service Medal with service star
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Southwest Asia Service Medal with service star Kosovo Campaign Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two service stars Iraq Campaign Medal with three service stars Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Armed Forces Service Medal Humanitarian Service Medal with service star
Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with three service stars Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon with service star National Defence Medal in gold (France)
NATO Medal for Kosovo Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait) Navy Pistol Marksmanship Ribbon
Command Ashore insignia
Joint Chiefs of Staff Badge
Presidential Service Badge

He is also a recipient of the Edwin T. Layton Leadership Award, Vice Admiral Rufus L. Taylor Leadership Award and the Army's Knowlton Award for excellence in intelligence.

Personal life

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Whitworth is the son of Frank Dixon Whitworth Jr. and Kay Sutton Whitworth.[3]

Whitworth married Amy Beth Crandall on September 5, 1992 in Alexandria, Virginia. His wife is the younger sister of Navy judge advocate Darse E. Crandall Jr.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "Dr. F. Dixon Whitworth". Richmond Times-Dispatch. June 21, 2004. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Certificate of Birth". Births, 1721–2015. No. 33995. Richmond, Virginia: Virginia Department of Health. 1967.
  3. ^ a b c "Marriage Return". No. 92–048538. Richmond, Virginia: Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Health-Division of Vital Records. September 9, 1992.
  4. ^ Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy on Active Duty. Bureau of Naval Personnel. October 1, 1990. p. 233. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  5. ^ "Rear Adm. Frank D. Whitworth". Joint Staff. Retrieved August 25, 2020.   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  6. ^ "PN1609 — Vice Adm. Frank D. Whitworth III — Navy, 117th Congress (2021-2022)". U.S. Congress. January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  7. ^ "Flag Officer Announcement". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  8. ^ "PN822 — Rear Adm. Frank D. Whitworth III — Navy". U.S. Congress. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  9. ^ "August 2021 Roster (Public)" (PDF). MyNavyHR. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 6, 2021. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  10. ^ "Vice Admiral Frank Whitworth".

  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Government.
  Media related to Frank D. Whitworth at Wikimedia Commons

Military offices
Preceded by Director of Intelligence of the United States Africa Command
2016–2018
Succeeded by
Preceded by Deputy Chief for Tailored Access Operations of the National Security Agency
2018–2019
Succeeded by
Preceded by Director of Intelligence of the Joint Staff
2019–2022
Succeeded by
Government offices
Preceded by Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
2022–present
Incumbent