Christopher W. Grady

Christopher Watson Grady is a four-star admiral in the United States Navy, who currently serves as the commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command. He also concurrently serves as the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Northern Command. He previously served as the commander of Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO, deputy commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe - Naval Forces Africa, commander of U.S. 6th Fleet and Joint Force Maritime Component Commander Europe. He assumed these duties October 28, 2016. On October 31, 2017, the Senate confirmed Grady's reappointment to the rank of vice admiral and assignment as the assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. On February 28, 2018, Grady was nominated by President Trump for appointment to the rank of admiral and assignment as commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command,, and confirmed by the senate on March 22, 2018. He assumed command of his current assignments on May 4, 2018.

Naval career
Admiral Christopher Grady is a native of Newport, Rhode Island. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and was commissioned an ensign through the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps program in 1984. Grady is a distinguished graduate of Georgetown University where he earned a Master of Arts in National Security Studies while concurrently participating as a fellow in Foreign Service at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. He is also a distinguished graduate of the National War College earning a Master of Science in National Security Affairs.

Grady’s initial sea tour was aboard USS Moosbrugger (DD 980) where he served as combat information center officer and antisubmarine warfare officer. As a department head, he served as weapons control officer and combat systems officer in USS Princeton (CG 59). He was commanding officer of Mine Counter Measure Rotational Crew Echo in USS Chief (MCM 14), and deployed to the Persian Gulf in command of USS Ardent (MCM 12). Grady then commanded USS Cole (DDG 67) deploying as part of NATO’s Standing Naval Forces Mediterranean. He then commanded Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 22 deploying to the Persian Gulf as sea combat commander for the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group (TRCSG) in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

Ashore, Grady first served on the staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and then as naval aide to the chief of naval operations. He also served on the staff of the chief of naval operations as assistant branch head, Europe and Eurasia Politico-Military Affairs Branch (OPNAV N524). He then served as executive assistant to the Navy’s Chief of Legislative Affairs. Next, he served as the deputy executive secretary of the National Security Council in the White House. He then went on to serve as the executive assistant to the chief of naval operations.

Grady’s flag assignments include the Director of the Maritime Operations Center (N2/3/5/7), Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet; Commander, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 1 and the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group where he deployed for nearly ten months to the Western Pacific and the Persian Gulf conducting combat operations in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. He was then commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic.