President Biden has nominated Vice Adm. Karl Thomas, commander of the U.S. Navy 7th Fleet, to be the next deputy chief of naval operations for information warfare and director of naval intelligence.
Thomas also received a nomination from Biden for reappointment to the rank of vice admiral, Lloyd Austin, secretary of defense and a 2023 Wash100 awardee, announced Wednesday.
If confirmed by Senate, Thomas would replace Vice Adm. Jeffrey Trussler, who assumed responsibility of the Navy’s information warfare efforts in June 2020.
Prior to his current appointment, Thomas was director of the 21st Century Sailor Office, Task Force 70 Commander for Carrier Strike Group 5 and assistant deputy chief of naval operations for operations, plans and strategy.
Thomas commanded USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20).
He previously worked in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, where he coordinated the Unmanned Air Systems Task Force.
