Vice Admiral Robert S. Harward, born to a Navy family, is a native of Newport, R.I. After graduation from the Tehran American High School, he attended the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport. In June 1975 he was awarded a fleet appointment to the Naval Academy and graduated in 1979.

Harward reported to Surface Warfare Officer School in Newport with follow-on orders as a member of the commissioning crew of USS Scott (DDG 995), where he earned his surface warfare officer qualification. After completion of a South American deployment in support of Unitas XXIV, he was ordered to Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUDS) training where he graduated as the honor man of Class 128.

His tours in Naval Special Warfare include platoon commander of SEAL Team 3; assault team leader and operations officer at Naval Special Warfare Development Group; executive officer of Naval Special Warfare Unit 1; operations officer at Naval Special Warfare Group 1 and commanding officer SEAL Team 3. Staff tours include special warfare plans for Commander, Amphibious Forces U.S. 7th Fleet; aide-de-camp to Commander in Chief, United States Special Operations Command and deputy commander, Special Operations Command, Pacific. Additional operational tours include Naval Special Warfare task group commander for Operation Desert Thunder in Kuwait; Joint Special Operations task force commander for Operation Rugged Nautilus and deputy commander of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force in support of Operation Joint Forge in Bosnia.

Harward is a graduate of the College of Naval Command and Staff, the Naval Staff College and the Armed Forces Staff College. He holds a master’s degree in International Relations and Strategic Security Affairs, served as a federal executive fellow at RAND and is a graduate of the MIT Foreign Policy program, Seminar XXI.

Harward assumed command of Naval Special Warfare Group 1 in August 2001 and deployed shortly after September 11, 2001, to Afghanistan. He commanded a Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force (Task Force K-BAR) and directed special reconnaissance and direct action missions throughout the country. His forces included 2,700 personnel from Naval Special Warfare, Army Special Forces, Air Force Special Operations Aircraft and Special Tactics personnel as well as Special Operations Forces from Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Denmark, Norway and Turkey.

In October of 2002, Harward deployed as commander, Task Force 561 where he commanded Naval Special Warfare Task Group Central in Iraq. His forces included all the assets in the Naval Special Warfare inventory as well as forces from the Polish Grom, the United Kingdom Royal Marines and the Kuwaiti Navy. His forces conducted special reconnaissance and direct action missions in the maritime environment and throughout Iraq.

Harward reported to the Executive Office of the President at the White House in August 2003. He served in the National Security Council staff as the director of Strategy and Defense Issues where he crafted the National / Homeland Security Presidential Directives (NSPD-41 / HSPD-13) on Maritime Security and the National Strategy for Maritime Security. Harward’s portfolio included nuclear counterterrorism for which he implemented policies to prevent terrorist use of weapons of mass destruction.

In April 2005, Harward was assigned as a plankowner to the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) in Washington, as the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, representative to the Senior Interagency Strategy Team. He was responsible for crafting the first National Implementation Plan and integration of DoD with its Interagency partners.

From June 2006 to July 2008, Harward served as the deputy commanding general, Joint Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C., and has served multiple combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.

On Nov. 3, 2008, Harward assumed the position of Deputy Commander, United States Joint Forces Command.