Navy Vice Adm. Frank D. Whitworth III assumed command as the eighth director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) during a ceremony held at NGA Campus East on June 3.
Whitworth was nominated to the position by President Biden and confirmed by the Senate earlier this year.
Before joining NGA, Whitworth served as the director of intelligence for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Before that, Whitworth served in several positions – commander of the Joint Intelligence Center Central, commanding officer of the Navy Element of U.S. Central Command, and commanding officer of the Kennedy Irregular Warfare Center.
“Our nation’s leaders and our uniformed service members rely on NGA to defend this nation, protect our interests abroad, and defeat our adversaries,” said Whitworth in a press release. “In lockstep with our global GEOINT partners, we will continue to deliver ‘GEOINT advantage’ to every echelon – from strategic decision-makers to our forces at the tactical edge.”
Whitworth replaces Vice Adm. Robert Sharp as director of NGA. Sharp became director in February 2019 and will be retiring after 33 years of service, including holding positions as the commander of the Office of Naval Intelligence and director of the National Maritime Intelligence-Integration Office.
