President Barack Obama has nominated Rear Adm. Christopher Grady, commander of Naval Surface Force Atlantic, as commander of U.S. 6th Fleet, Task Force 6, Striking and Support Forces NATO and the European Joint Force Maritime Component Command.
Grady’s nomination also includes deputy commander roles for U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa and a promotion to the rank of vice admiral, the Defense Department said Tuesday.
He began his career in the U.S. Navy as a combat information center officer and antisubmarine warfare officer on USS Moosbrugger and has since served as an officer on USS Princeton, USS Chief, USS Cole and USS Ardent.
He has been deployed to the Arabian Gulf as commander of Destroyer Squadron 22 and sea combat commander for the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group to support the Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom operations.
He is a former executive assistant to the chief of naval operations, executive assistant to the Navy’s chief of legislative affairs, deputy executive secretary of the National Security Council, director of the Maritime Operations Center and commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Carrier Strike Group 1 and the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group.
Grady is a recipient of military awards such as the Defense Superior Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal and the Joint Service Achievement Medal.