Lead with Excellence. God bless America and our watch standers. 🇺🇸⚓
One Nation Under God Karl Owen Thomas (born 1 November 1963) United States Navy vice admiral. Born in Fairfax, Virginia and raised in Northern Virginia, earned a bachelor's degree in management systems from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1986 and later received a Master of Science degree in information technology from th
e Naval Postgraduate School. I started off as a carrier aviator in the E-2C Hawkeye and rose quickly to serve as commanding officer of VAW-117 during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Served on USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), USS George Washington (CVN-73), U.S. 6th Fleet Command Ship, USS Mount Whitney (LCC-20), USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) and USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. I served as the commander of Carrier Strike Group 5 for a time, deploying on USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) out of Yokosuka, Japan. While in that role I took the opportunity to stress "Freedom of Navigation Operations" when my weaker allies couldn't. CVN 76 transited the South China Sea regularly in order to send a message to Beijing that the seas must be free and open. Karl O. Thomas
Born: 1 November 1963 (age 61)
Fairfax, Virginia
Allegiance: United States
Branch: United States Navy
Years of service: 1986–present
Rank: Vice Admiral
Commands: United States Seventh Fleet
Carrier Strike Group 5
USS Carl Vinson
USS Abraham Lincoln
USS Mount Whitney
VAW-117
Awards Navy Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit (5)
