Kenneth J. Braithwaite

The Honorable Kenneth J. Braithwaite served as the 77th Secretary of the Navy from 2020 to 2021.  He was the first Navy flag officer (Admiral) to become a confirmed Secretary of the Navy. Previously he served as U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway where he strengthened bilateral relations especially on defense. 

Braithwaite graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1984. Earning his Wings of Gold as a Naval Aviator, he flew P-3 Orions tracking adversary submarines in the Pacific and Arctic. Later he served aboard the aircraft carrier USS America and with Carrier Group 2 as well as Striking Force 6th Fleet. After serving on the Staff of the Admiral at the Philadelphia Naval Base, Braithwaite joined the Navy Reserve in 1993 and enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania earning a master’s degree in 1995. Continuing his Navy service, he commanded Navy Combat Camera Atlantic where he deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2007 he was promoted to Rear Admiral and served as the first Vice Chief of Information until retiring from the Navy in 2011. 

In the private sector Ambassador Braithwaite has held executive roles in the health care and petroleum sectors. Since leaving public office, he has worked with Silicon Valley Bank, Kongsberg Defence and Summa Equity, an ESG PE company as a senior advisor. He also serves on several corporate boards and is a Fellow of the NATO School in Oberammergau, Germany.