Rear Adm. Charles W. Rock is a native of upstate New York. He was commissioned in 1987 through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps Program at Texas A&M University, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Ocean Engineering. Rock holds a master’s degree in national security strategy from the National War College.

His assignments at sea include combat information center officer aboard USS Mahlon S. Tisdale (FFG 27); electrical officer aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72); operations officer on USS Cole (DDG 67) and USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55); executive officer aboard USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) and commanding officer on High Speed Vessel Swift (HSV 2).

Ashore, he has served as command, control and communications plans officer, U.S. European Command; military assistant to the political advisor, U.S. Joint Forces Command; deputy executive assistant and flag secretary to the Commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command and the Supreme Allied Commander, Transformation; division chief, Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate (J-5), the Joint Chiefs of Staff; chief of staff, Navy Installations Command; commander Fleet Activities Sasebo, Japan and commandant, Naval District Washington.
Rock assumed command of the Navy’s Mid-Atlantic Region on July 20, 2018.

Last Updated: 6 September 2022