Rear Admiral Franken is a native of Sioux Center, Iowa. He was a 1981 NROTC distinguished graduate at the University of Nebraska School of Engineering, and served as first lieutenant, auxiliaries division, and anti-submarine warfare officer in USS King (DDG 41) during his initial tour at sea. He then served as weapons officer in USS Dahlgren (DDG 43), executive officer in USS Barry (DDG 52), commissioned the USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) as its first commanding officer, and deployed as CTG 152.0 while serving as commander, Destroyer Squadron 28.

Tours ashore include combat systems officer at Destroyer Squadron 10 and Naval Surface Group, Norfolk; flag aide to Commander, Naval Surface Forces, U.S. Atlantic Fleet; deputy executive assistant to the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Plans, Policy and Operations (N3/N5); executive assistant to Navy's Office of Legislative Affairs; a one-year fellowship on Senator Edward M. Kennedy's personal staff; the political-military chair on both the Chief of Naval Operations Executive Panel (N00K) and in the Deep Blue Directorate (N3/N5) on the Navy staff; the joint requirements officer (N810) in the assessments division on the Navy staff; Pacific Command Division Chief and Deputy Chief Joint Operations Directorate (JOD) in J3 of the Joint Staff, executive assistant to US Fleet Forces Command, and chief of staff for Commander, 3rd Fleet.

Franken is a graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School’s College of Physics, the Maritime Warfare Advanced Course at the Canadian War College, the Brookings Institute Legislative Affairs Program, the Joint Forces Staff College, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Seminar XXI.

He assumed his current position as the deputy director, strategy, plans and policy (J5), U.S. Central Command, July 2008.