Vice Adm. Bob Sharp is a native of San Jose, California.  He is a graduate of the University of the Pacific with a Bachelor of Arts in English and was commissioned through Officer Candidate School in 1988.  He holds a Naval War College diploma and earned a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in 2008.

His previous operational tours include deployments with USS Ranger (CV 61), Carrier Air Wing 2 embarked on USS Constellation (CV 64) and Carrier Group 2 embarked onboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75).  Additionally, he conducted multiple deployments to Afghanistan as director for intelligence (J2) of a special operations task force, leading joint, inter-agency intelligence professionals supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Sharp’s shore tours include assistant intelligence officer, Commander Naval Air Forces, Pacific; instructor duty at the Fleet Intelligence Center, Pacific; targeting officer on the Joint Staff; intelligence operations officer, U.S. Fleet Forces Command; director of intelligence,  Naval Special Warfare Development Group; director of intelligence and deputy director, Maritime Operations Center, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet; and senior fellow, Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group.  He commanded Joint Intelligence Center, U.S. Central Command from August 2010 to August 2012.  Sharp commanded the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) and directed the National Maritime Intelligence-Integration Office (NMIO) from April 2016 to January 2019.

During his initial flag assignment, he served as director for intelligence (J2), U.S. Special Operations Command.

Sharp became the seventh director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, a DoD Combat Support Agency and member of the national Intelligence Community, in February 2019.

In addition to multiple personal, unit and campaign awards, he has been the recipient of the Vice Admiral Rufus L. Taylor award for excellence in instruction, U.S. Army’s Knowlton Award for Military Intelligence, Rear Admiral Edwin T. Layton leadership award, and the Naval Intelligence Foundation award for excellence in operational intelligence support to the Fleet.

Last Updated: 1 August 2022