Kenneth Braithwaite

Kenneth John Braithwaite II is the United States Ambassador to Norway. His nomination by President Donald Trump was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on 21 December 2017. He has been a business executive and town councilman, and is a retired rear admiral of the United States Navy Reserve.

Education
Braithwaite attended the United States Naval Academy and graduated with a bachelor's degree in naval engineering and political science in 1984. He later earned a master's degree in government administration from the University of Pennsylvania in 1995.

Military career
Braithwaite was commissioned as a U.S. Navy ensign in 1984. He became a naval aviator in April 1986 and was assigned to fly anti-submarine patrol missions. In April 1988 he was reassigned to public affairs duties.

Braithwaite's active duty service ended in 1993 but he immediately joined the U.S. Navy Reserve. He continued to perform various public affairs assignments until his retirement in 2011. His promotion to rear admiral (lower half) was approved by the U.S. Senate in June 2007.

After his military career, Braithwaite has been a communications director at the Embassy of the United States in Islamabad and later a vice president of a consultancy company that works to improve the performance and strategies of healthcare.

Personal
Kenneth Braithwaite and his wife Melissa have one daughter, Grace, and one son, Harrison.