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Vice Admiral Kurt W. Tidd
Director, Operations, J3
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Vice Adm. Tidd is the director for Operations (J3), Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. The director for Operations serves in assisting the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff in fulfilling his responsibilities as the principal military advisor to the president and secretary of defense in developing and providing operational guidance, and in fostering clear communication between the president, secretary of defense, unified commands, and services.
Before rejoining the Joint Staff, Tidd commanded U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and U.S. 4th Fleet. Other tours afloat include: command of Carrier Strike Group 8 aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower(CVN 69), during a combat deployment supporting coalition forces in Operation Enduring Freedom.
From 2004 to 2005, Tidd commanded Persian Gulf maritime operations as commander, Middle East Force and commander Task Force 55. Previous sea duty assignments include: commander, Destroyer Squadron 50; commanding Officer, USS Arthur W. Radford (DD 968); and, executive officer aboard USS Leftwich (DD 984). Tidd was operations officer aboard USS Deyo (DD 989); flag lieutenant to commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Group 8; boilers officer aboard USS America (CV 66); and, communications officer and main propulsion assistant on USS Semmes (DDG 18).
Ashore, he served on the National Security Council Staff as director for Strategic Capabilities Policy, and as a director for combating terrorism; the founding deputy for operations on the Chief of Naval Operations War on Terrorism Operations Planning Group "Deep Blue." He was N-3/Operations at U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet, Manama, Bahrain; at the Pentagon, on the Navy Staff Strategy and Policy Division (N51) and as the political-military analyst in the Secretary of the Navy's Office of Program Appraisal; as the strategic planner on the Chief of Naval Operations' Executive Panel (N-00K); and at NATO Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, as aide to the U.S. representative, NATO military committee.
A second generation surface warfare officer, Tidd is the son of retired Vice Adm. and Mrs. Emmett H. Tidd, USN, and the brother of the Navy’s 25th Chief of Chaplains, Rear Adm. Mark L. Tidd.
Tidd graduated in 1974 from Porter Gaud School, Charleston, S.C. and was commissioned from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1978, with a degree in Foreign Area Studies. Selected in 1984 as an Olmsted Foundation Scholar, Tidd has a master's degree in Political Science from the University of Bordeaux, France. He has been awarded the Legion of Honor by the government of France. He is a French linguist, and a proven subspecialist in Strategic Planning and Europe/Russia area studies. He is a graduate of the Armed Forces Staff College and was a federal executive fellow at the Atlantic Council of the United States.