Frank D. Whitworth

Frank Dixon Whitworth III^[1] (born 17 June 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 3 June 2022. He most recently served as the Director for Intelligence of the Joint Staff.^[5][6][7]

Frank D. Whitworth
Official portrait, 2022
8th Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
Incumbent
Assumed office 3 June 2022
President	Joe Biden
Deputy	Tonya Wilkerson
Preceded by	Robert D. Sharp
Personal details
Born	(1967-06-17) 17 June 1967 (age 58) Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Relations	Darse Crandall (brother-in-law)
Education	Duke University (BA) Georgetown University (MA)
Military service
Branch/service	United States Navy
Years of service	1989–present
Rank	Vice Admiral
Commands	National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Joint Intelligence Center, U.S. Central Command Kennedy Irregular Warfare Center
Awards	Defense Superior Service Medal (3) Legion of Merit Bronze Star (4) Defense Meritorious Service Medal (5)

Early life and education

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

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 30 July 2021.^[9]

Awards and decorations

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

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

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