Rear Admiral Tom Dickinson, a native of Whitehall, Michigan, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics.  He also earned a Master of Business Administration degree in 2006 from the Naval Postgraduate School, in Monterey, California, where he graduated with distinction as a Conrad Scholar.

He qualified as a surface warfare officer aboard USS Chancellorsville (CG 62) in 1997. Additional operational assignments include operations officer aboard USS Champion (MCM 4); weapons officer and combat systems officer aboard USS The Sullivans (DDG 68); and executive officer and commanding officer aboard USS Barry (DDG 52). During his command tour, USS Barry completed a 9-month Ballistic Missile Defense deployment in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and earned the Battle “E.”

Ashore assignments include surface warfare officer detailer for PERS-41 at the Navy Personnel Command; major defense acquisition program analyst in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics; and instructor at the Naval Leadership and Ethics Command in Newport, Rhode Island.

Acquisition professional assignments include principal assistant program manager for technology insertion in the Aegis Program Office; fleet introduction program manager for Aegis Ashore; Maritime Theater Missile Defense national point of contact; major program manager for Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Weapon Systems; executive assistant for the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition; and principal military deputy and chief operating officer for the director, Surface Ship Maintenance, Modernization and Sustainment (SEA-21) and commander, Navy Regional Maintenance Centers. 

Prior to his current assignment and in his first flag role, Dickinson served concurrently as commander, Naval Surface Warfare Center and commander, Naval Undersea Warfare Center with headquarters in Washington and Newport, Rhode Island. He assumed the duties of program executive officer for Integrated Warfare Systems in July 2024.

In 2014, Rear Admiral Dickinson was awarded the Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale Award for Inspirational Leadership. In 2020, he was the inaugural recipient of the Rear Admiral “Deak” Parsons Award for Program Management Excellence.

Last Updated: 11 July 2024