Rear Adm. Baker is a native of Charlotte, North Carolina. He is a 1995 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in History, and a 2005 graduate of Istanbul Bilgi University as an Olmsted Scholar with a Master of Arts in International Relations. He served as a 2010 International Affairs Fellow to the Council on Foreign Relations, and speaks Turkish and French.

Baker is a Navy foreign area officer with experience building partner capability & capacity, enabling U.S. Coalition operations, leading Military Attaché Operations, and directing international strategy and plans in the Africa Command, European Command, Indo-Pacific Command, and Central Command areas of responsibility.

As an E-2C Hawkeye naval flight officer, he deployed to the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean and to the Arabian Gulf and Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Southern Watch. As a foreign area officer, he deployed to Silopi, Turkey and Northern Iraq serving as liaison officer to the Turkish Special Forces in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom; and on board High Speed Vessel Swift in the Indian Ocean to support U.S. Naval Forces Africa’s Africa Partnership Station.

Shore, assignments include: Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center, Weapons & Tactics instructor; Office the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV N52), Asia Pacific political-military planner; U.S. Africa Command, director of West Africa Engagement; Senior Defense Official/Defense Attaché to Madagascar, Comoros, Mauritius, and Seychelles; Office of Defense Cooperation Turkey, Chief of Naval Cooperation; Defense Intelligence Agency, director, Defense Attaché Service – Asia Pacific Division; Bahrain, assistant Chief of Staff for Strategy, Plans, and Policy (N5) for U.S. Naval Forces Central/U.S. 5th Fleet; OPNAV N51 Security Cooperation & Posture, and Foreign Area Officer Community Chief of Staff

Baker is the Navy foreign area officer community leader.

Last Updated: 8 July 2022