Mark L. Tidd

Rear Admiral Mark L. Tidd, CHC, USN, (born 1955/1956) is the 25th and current Chief of Chaplains of the United States Navy. He was appointed to this assignment on August 27, 2010.

Background
Rear Admiral Tidd comes from a career Navy family and is a graduate of Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

Education
Rear Admiral Tidd received his Master of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary and a Master of Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary. He is a graduate of the National War College in Washington, DC, with a Master of Science in National Security Strategy and a graduate of the Marine Corps Command and Staff College and the Armed Forces Staff College.

Military career
Rear Admiral Tidd’s Navy tours include Naval Air Station Moffett Field, Calif. with Patrol Wing 10 and the USS Reeves (CG 24), homeported in Yokosuka, Japan. During his time on board, Reeves visited Qingdao, China, as part of the first port visit by U.S. warships to that country in 39 years. He went on to serve as deputy command chaplain on the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71).

Marine Corps tours include 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, and the division staff of 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, N.C., deploying to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Desert Storm. He served at Marine Corps Combat Development Command as the chaplain for the Marine Corps Brig and the Base Security Battalion and later returned to 2nd Marine Division as the division chaplain.

Tidd has served in leadership positions on the chief of Chaplain’s staff as the branch head for Professional Development and Religious Programs and as the Advanced Training officer at Navy Chaplain School. Tidd was assigned as the force chaplain for U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the fleet chaplain for U.S. 5th Fleet, headquartered in the Kingdom of Bahrain. After serving as command chaplain for the U.S. European Command, he became deputy chief of Navy Chaplains and Chaplain of the Marine Corps.

Tidd assumed his current duties as the 25th chief of Navy Chaplains on August 27, 2010.

Marriage controversy
On April 13, 2011, Tidd issued a two-page "guidance" memo stating that following final repeal of don't ask, don't tell, the law barring openly gay people from military service, same-sex couples would be allowed to marry in Naval facilities with Naval chaplains officiating in those states in which same-sex marriage is legal. Following political pressure from Republican members of Congress who claimed that allowing the use of federal facilities or personnel to perform same-sex marriages would violate the Defense of Marriage Act, Tidd suspended the policy on May 10, pending further Naval review.

Awards and decorations
Tidd’s military decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit with gold star, Meritorious Service Medal with gold star, Joint Service Commendation Medal, and Navy Marine Corps Commendation Medal with three gold stars.