Joseph Devereux Kernan (born February 4, 1955) is a retired

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

vice admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

and the former

under secretary of defense for intelligence The under secretary of defense for intelligence and security or USD(I&S) is a high-ranking civilian position in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) within the United States Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) that ac ...

. His last military assignment was serving as the military deputy commander of the

United States Southern Command The United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), located in Doral, Florida, Doral in Greater Miami, Greater Miami, Florida, is one of the eleven unified combatant commands in the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for providi ...

(USSOUTHCOM), Miami, Florida, from May 23, 2011, to September 2013. He was the second-in-command of one of nine unified commands under the Department of Defense. Kernan formerly served as the Senior Military Assistant to the

Secretary of Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

from August 2009 to May 2011. Prior to that, he served as Commander,

United States Fourth Fleet The U.S. Fourth Fleet is a United States Navy numbered fleet. It is the Naval Component Command of U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM). The Fourth Fleet is headquartered at Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida. It is responsible fo ...

and United States Naval Forces Southern Command from July 1, 2008, to June 12, 2009, and as Commander,

Naval Special Warfare Command The United States Naval Special Warfare Command (USNSWC), also known as NAVSPECWARCOM and WARCOM, is the naval component of United States Special Operations Command, the unified command that oversees and conducts the nation's special operatio ...

from June 2007 to June 30, 2008. He assumed his final assignment on May 23, 2011. Kernan was nominated as the fifth USD(I) on July 17, 2017, was confirmed by the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

on November 17, 2017, and served until November 10, 2020, when Ezra Cohen replaced him as acting Undersecretary for Intelligence.

Early life

Joseph Devereux Kernan was born February 4, 1955, at

Travis Air Force Base Travis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base under the operational control of Air Mobility Command (AMC), located three miles (5 Kilometre, km) east of the central business district of the city of Fairfield, California, Fairfield, i ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, the son of a career

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

pilot and Air Force nurse.

Naval career

Kernan graduated from the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

in 1977 and received a commission as an Ensign in the

. He attended Surface Warfare Officer School and reported to based in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

. During his first tour, Kernan served as an Engineering Officer, completed deployments to the Western Pacific and

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

regions and was designated a Surface Warfare Officer. Upon completion of his initial tour with the Surface Warfare community, Kernan received orders to

Naval Amphibious Base Coronado Naval Amphibious Base Coronado (NAB Coronado) is a US naval installation in San Diego, California. The base, situated on Silver Strand between San Diego Bay and the Pacific Ocean, is a major United States Navy shore command, supporting over 30 t ...

for Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training. After six months of training, Kernan graduated with

BUD/S The average member of the United States Navy's Sea, Air, Land Teams (SEALs) spends over a year in a series of formal training environments before being awarded the Special Warfare Operator Naval Rating and the Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC ...

class 117 in May 1982. Following SEAL Basic Indoctrination and completion of a six month probationary period, he received the 1130 designator as a Naval Special Warfare Officer, entitled to wear the

SEAL Trident The Special Warfare insignia, also known as the "SEAL Trident" or its popular nickname in the Navy community, "The Budweiser", recognizes those members of the United States Navy who have completed the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) trai ...

. He commanded Platoons at

Underwater Demolition Team The Underwater Demolition Team (UDT), or frogmen, were amphibious units created by the United States Navy during World War II with specialized missions. They were predecessors of the Navy's current United States Navy SEAL, SEAL teams. Their pri ...

12, later redesigned as SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1, and SEAL Team FIVE. Additionally while assigned to SEAL Team 5, he served as Detachment Officer-in-Charge of four deployed SEAL platoons and Deputy Commander, Naval Special Warfare Task Force, Middle East Force. He later served as executive officer, Naval Special Warfare Unit 1 (NSWU1) at Naval Station Subic Bay,

Republic of the Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of 7,641 islands, with a total area of roughly 300,000 square kilometers, which ar ...

. His staff positions included the Naval Special Warfare Officer Detailer, operations officer, SEAL Team THREE, Chief of Staff and Deputy commander at Naval Special Warfare Command and Director, of Naval Special Warfare Branch on the Navy Staff. He later earned an M.S. in resource management from

National Defense University National Defence (or Defense) University (or College) may refer to: :''Alphabetical by country'' University * Marshal Fahim National Defense University, Afghanistan * National Defense University (Azerbaijan) * People's Liberation Army National Defe ...

in 1997. Kernan served as commanding officer of

SEAL Team TWO The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the United States Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main funct ...

from 1994 to 1996. As a Captain, he served as commanding officer of

Naval Special Warfare Development Group The Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG), abbreviated as DEVGRU ("Development Group") and unofficially known as SEAL Team Six, is the United States Navy component of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). The unit is often r ...

from June 1999 to Aug 2003. His joint assignments include Deputy Director and Director of Operations,

Joint Special Operations Command The Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) is a joint component command of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and is charged with studying special operations requirements and techniques to ensure interoperability and equip ...

Fort Bragg Fort Bragg (formerly Fort Liberty from 2023–2025) is a United States Army, U.S. Army Military base, military installation located in North Carolina. It ranks among the largest military bases in the world by population, with more than 52,000 m ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, and Director of Operations, Center for Special Operations, United States Special Operations Command,

MacDill AFB MacDill Air Force Base (MacDill AFB) is an active United States Air Force installation located 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida. The "host wing" for MacDill AFB is the 6th Air Refueling Wing (6 ARW), assig ...

Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

Kernan assumed duties as

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

in June 2007. On April 24, 2008, Admiral

Gary Roughead Gary Roughead ( "rough head"; born July 15, 1951) is a former United States Navy officer who served as the 29th Chief of Naval Operations from 2007 to 2011. He previously served as Commander, United States Fleet Forces Command from May 17 to Sept ...

, the

Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the highest-ranking officer of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an Admiral (United States), admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the United States Secretary ...

, announced that the

would be re-established, effective July 1, with responsibility for United States Navy ships, aircraft and submarines operating in the Caribbean Sea, as well as throughout Central and South America, with Kernan as the fleet commander, as well as Commander, United States Naval Forces Southern Command, the naval component of the

. Kernan became the first Navy SEAL to serve as a numbered fleet commander. On May 19, 2009, Defense Secretary

Robert Gates Robert Michael Gates (born September 25, 1943) is an American intelligence analyst and university president who served as the 22nd United States secretary of defense from 2006 to 2011. He was appointed by President George W. Bush and retained b ...

announced that President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

had selected Kernan for appointment to the rank of vice admiral and assignment as Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense. He assumed the assignment in June 2009. In May 2011, he was assigned as deputy commander

until his retirement in September 2013.

Later career

After his military retirement, Kernan served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development for SAP National Security Services. On July 17, 2017, President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

announced his intention to nominate Kernan to the position of

Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence The under secretary of defense for intelligence and security or USD(I&S) is a high-ranking civilian position in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) within the United States Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) that ac ...

. His nomination was confirmed by the Senate on November 16, 2017. On November 10, 2020, Kernan retired from government service. Ezra Cohen replaced him as the acting Undersecretary for Intelligence.

Business activities and board memberships

Kernan also serves as the chairman of NS2 Serves, a "veteran training and employment program," as well as on the board of directors for both the National Navy SEAL Museum and The Mission Continues, a nonprofit founded by former Missouri governor and former SEAL,

Eric Greitens Eric Robert Greitens (born April 10, 1974) is an American businessman, author, former politician and former Navy SEAL, who served as the 56th governor of Missouri from January 2017 until June 2018, when he resigned that month amid allegations o ...

. In September 2017, Joe returned to SAP NS2 where he now works as Chief Security Officer. He and his wife Jan also run a well-known vineyard in Leesburg, Virginia calle
Bleufrog Vineyards

Personal life

Kernan and his wife, Janet, have two children: Sean and Shannon.

Awards and decorations

United States Navy Special Warfare insignia

Naval Special Warfare insignia

Surface Warfare Officer insignia The surface warfare insignia is a military badge of the United States Navy which is issued to U.S. Navy personnel who are trained and qualified to perform duties aboard United States surface warships. There are presently four classes of the sur ...

Naval Parachutist Badge

Image gallery

File:RADM Joseph D. Kernan.jpg, Then-Rear Admiral Joseph D. Kernan while serving as Commander, United States Fourth Fleet and Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command. File:Kernan white.jpg, Vice Admiral Joseph D. Kernan, while serving as Deputy Commander, U.S. Southern Command, in Navy service whites.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kernan, Joseph 1955 births Living people United States Navy SEALs personnel Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Humanitarian Service Medal Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal First Trump administration personnel United States Navy admirals United States Under Secretaries of Defense