Vice Admiral Nancy E. Brown (born 1952) most recently served as the Director, Command, Control, Communications and Computer Systems (C4 Systems), The Joint Staff. She is the principal advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on all C4 systems matters within the

Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...

. Her service spanned 32 years. She retired in 2009. Prior to her final assignment, Vice Adm. Brown was the Director of Command Control Systems, Headquarters

North American Aerospace Defense Command North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection ...

and Director of Architectures and Integration, Headquarters U.S. Northern Command,

Peterson Air Force Base Peterson Space Force Base, previously Peterson Air Force Base, Peterson Field, and Army Air Base, Colorado Springs, is a U.S. Space Force Base that shares an airfield with the adjacent Colorado Springs Municipal Airport and is home to the N ...

, Colorado. She also served as the Commander, Navy Element and Chief Information Officer for both commands.

Biography

Vice Adm. Brown is a native of Glen Cove, New York. She was raised in

Marion, Illinois Marion is a city in Williamson and Johnson Counties, Illinois, United States, and is the county seat of Williamson County. The population was 16,855 at the 2020 census. It is part of a dispersed urban area that developed out of the early 20th ...

, and is a 1973 graduate of Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri.

Naval career

Following completion of

Officer Candidate School An officer candidate school (OCS) is a military school which trains civilians and enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a commission as officers in the armed forces of a country. How OCS is run differs between countries and services. Ty ...

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New Yor ...

, in June 1974, Vice Adm. Brown reported to her first duty station, Naval Communications Station, Norfolk, Virginia She was assigned as communications watch officer, followed by automation officer and personnel officer. She then served as the special projects and manpower requirements officer at the Naval Telecommunications Command in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

After her tour in Washington, D.C., Vice Adm. Brown attended Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, where she earned a Master of Science degree in Communications Systems Management. She was then assigned to the Defense Commercial Communications Office at

Scott Air Force Base Scott Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in St. Clair County, Illinois, near Belleville and O'Fallon, east-southeast of downtown St. Louis. Scott Field was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the ...

in Belleville, Illinois. This joint tour qualified Vice Adm. Brown as a proven subspecialist in communications and led to her designation as a joint specialty officer (JSO). From this joint assignment, Vice Adm. Brown was enrolled in the Junior Course at the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associ ...

. Completion of this course led to the awarding of a Master of Arts Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies. Her follow-on assignment was as the officer in charge, Naval Radio and Receiving Facility Kamiseya, Japan. Returning from overseas, Vice Adm. Brown was assigned to the Joint Tactical Command, Control and Communications Agency in Washington. After this second joint tour, she was assigned as the executive officer (XO) at the Naval Communications Station in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

. A major segment of this tour was devoted to the establishment of the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station, San Diego. Upon completing this XO tour, Vice Adm. Brown was enrolled in the Senior Course at the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. In August 1993, Vice Adm. Brown assumed command of Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station Cutler, Downeast,

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

. After completing her command tour, she was selected for assignment to the National Security Council staff at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

where she reported for duty in August 1995. In July 1997, Vice Adm. Brown assumed command of the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station Atlantic headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia. Completing her command tour in June 1999, Vice Adm. Brown returned to the

as the deputy director,

White House Military Office The White House Military Office (WHMO) is a department within the White House Office that provides military support for White House functions, including food service, presidential transportation, medical support, emergency medical services and ho ...

. It was during this tour Vice Adm. Brown was selected for Rear Admiral. In October 2000, she reported to the Chief of Naval Operations as deputy director and Fleet Liaison, Space, Information Warfare, Command and Control (N6B). In August 2002 she assumed duties as Vice Director for Command, Control, Communications, and Computer Systems (J6), the Joint Staff. In August 2004 she deployed to

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

becoming the first Multi-National Force–Iraq C6 Headquartered in

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon. I ...

and returned to the Joint Staff in April 2005. In August 2005 Vice Adm. Brown assumed the duties as J6 Director for both

and

United States Northern Command United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) is one of eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense. The command is tasked with providing military support for non-military authorities in the U.S., and protect ...

. In August 2006 she assumed her duties as the Director, Command, Control, Communications and Computer Systems (C4 Systems), The Joint Staff.

Education

Vice Adm. Brown graduated from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri in 1973 with a bachelor's degree in education. She attended Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, where she earned a Master of Science degree in Communications Systems Management. Brown completed the Junior Course at the

in Newport, Rhode Island, leading to the awarding of a Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies.

Awards and decorations

Vice Adm. Brown's decorations include the

Defense Distinguished Service Medal The Defense Distinguished Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States Department of Defense, which is presented to United States Armed Forces service members for exceptionally distinguished performance of duty contributing to the ...

, the Defense Superior Service Medal (with two Oak Leaf Clusters), the Legion of Merit (with Gold Star), the

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

, the

Defense Meritorious Service Medal The Defense Meritorious Service Medal (DMSM) is an award bestowed upon members of the United States military by the United States Department of Defense. In the order of precedence of the United States Armed Forces, it is worn between the Purple ...

(with Oak Leaf Cluster), the

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: * Meritorious Civilian Service Award *Meritorious Service Me ...

, the

Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

, the

Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal The Achievement Medal is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. The Achievement Medal was first proposed as a means to recognize outstanding achievement or meritorious service of military personnel who were not eligible to recei ...

, the

Iraq Campaign Medal The Iraq Campaign Medal (ICM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created by Executive Order 13363 of U.S. President George W. Bush on 29 November 2004, and became available for general distribution in June 2005 ...

(with two Bronze Stars), the

Global War on Terrorism Service Medal The Global War on Terrorism Service Medal (GWOT-SM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created through Executive Order 13289 on 12 March 2003, by President George W. Bush. The medal recognizes those military service ...

, the

Armed Forces Service Medal The Armed Forces Service Medal (AFSM) is a military award of the United States military that was created on January 11, 1996, by President Bill Clinton under . The AFSM is a deployed service medal that is presented to those service members who e ...

, and the

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces who has served during any one of four ...

(with two Bronze Stars). *