Kurt W. Tidd
| Kurt W. Tidd | |
|---|---|
 Admiral Kurt W. Tidd, USN | |
| Born | March 26, 1956 |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America |
| Service/branch |
 United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1978–present |
| Rank |
 Admiral |
| Commands held |
United States Southern Command Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Director for Operations, Joint Staff (J-3) U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command / U.S. 4th Fleet Carrier Strike Group 8 |
| Battles/wars | Operation Enduring Freedom |
| Awards |
Defense Distinguished Service Medal (2) Navy Distinguished Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit (4) |
| Relations |
Emmett Hulcy Tidd (father) Mark L. Tidd (brother) |
Kurt Walter Tidd[1] (born March 26, 1956) is a United States Navy admiral. He is currently serving as the Commander, United States Southern Command. Prior to the current assignment, Admiral Tidd served as Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He also served as the Director for Operations, Joint Staff (J-3) from 2012 to 2013, and as Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command / U.S. 4th Fleet from August 5, 2011 to June 22, 2012. Confirmed by the Senate on December 16, 2015, Tidd received his fourth star and succeeded John F. Kelly as commander of United States Southern Command on January 14, 2016. Tidd also holds the title of "Old Salt", which means he is, of all Surface Warfare qualified Navy Officers, the one who earned this badge the longest ago.
Biography
Tidd was born on March 26, 1956.[2] He is the son of now-retired Navy Vice Admiral Emmett H. Tidd and is a second-generation surface warfare officer. He grew up in various cities on the East and West coasts before graduating in 1974 from the Porter-Gaud School in Charleston, South Carolina. Tidd was commissioned from the United States Naval Academy in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Area Studies.
Tidd was appointed Director of Strategic Capabilities Policy, Defense Policy Directorate in July 2006. He joined the National Security Council staff in March 2005 as Director for Strategy and Defense Issues, Directorate of Combating Terrorism. His responsibilities included developing and coordinating inter-agency policy on countering weapons of mass destruction terrorism, threats to international aviation security, and maritime security policy. From January 2004 to March 2005, Tidd commanded Persian Gulf maritime War on Terror operations as Commander, Middle East Force and Commander Task Force 55.
Tidd was the founding Deputy for Operations on the Chief of Naval Operations War on Terrorism Operations Planning Group Deep Blue. Prior to that, he was the Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations (N-3) to Commander, United States Naval Forces Central Command and Commander, United States Fifth Fleet in Manama, Bahrain. He served in NATO Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium as aide to the U.S. Representative, NATO Military Committee. In The Pentagon, he worked on the Navy Staff in the Strategy and Policy Division (N-51), and as the Political-Military Analyst in the Secretary of the Navy's Office of Program Appraisal. Tidd also was the Strategic Planner on the Chief of Naval Operations' Executive Panel (N-00K).
Sea duty assignments include Communications Officer and Main Propulsion Assistant in USS Semmes (DDG-18), Boilers Officer in USS America (CV-66), Flag Lieutenant to Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Group Eight, and Operations Officer in USS Deyo (DD-989). Tidd was executive officer in USS Leftwich (DD-984), commanding officer, USS Arthur W. Radford (DD-968), and Commander, Destroyer Squadron 50.
Tidd holds a master's degree in political science from the University of Bordeaux, France, earned as an Olmsted Foundation Scholar. He is a graduate of the Armed Forces Staff College, and was a Federal Executive Fellow at the Atlantic Council of the United States. He is a French linguist and a subspecialist in Strategic Planning and Europe/Russia area studies.
Tidd's brother, Mark L. Tidd, retired as Chief of Navy Chaplains with the rank of Rear Admiral in 2014.
Awards and decorations
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External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kurt W. Tidd. |
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Navy document "Vice Admiral Kurt W. Kidd".
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John F. Kelly |
United States Southern Command January 14, 2016 – present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |