Captain Andrew Charles

Captain Andrew Charles​​

Deputy Chief of Staff, Naval Intelligence Activity​​

A native of Beaver, Pennsylvania, Captain Andy Charles is the chief of staff for the Naval Intelligence Activity (NIA), an Echelon II command that reports to the deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare (OPNAV N2N6). He is a 1995 graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he received a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering. He holds a Master of Science in astronautical engineering from the University of Southern California and a Master of Military Arts and Sciences (Strategy) from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. He completed the Secretary of Defense’s Executive Fellowship training program at the Darden School of Business, University of Virginia.
 
Charles’s operational assignments included Strike Fighter Squadron 37, U.S. 5^th Fleet, and the Joint Warfare Analysis Center. He also served as the chief of targets for Joint Task Force-519 under the Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet and as the senior intelligence officer on USS Bataan (LHD 5) for rescue operations after Hurricane Katrina and counterterrorism operations off Somalia.  Additional assignments included operations officer for the Joint Intelligence Group–Guantanamo Bay, division chief for the Joint Intelligence Task Force–Combatting Terrorism under the Defense Intelligence Agency, and lead executive briefer and senior service advisor for the Joint Chiefs of Staff Intelligence Directorate. 
 
Staff assignments included serving as the intelligence lead for CTF-72, director of the Tactical Exploitation of National Capabilities Program office on the OPNAV staff, and lead of N2N6’s Space Capabilities and Requirements branch. Charles also commanded the Kennedy Irregular Warfare Center in the Office of Naval Intelligence.
 
Prior to his assignment with NIA, Charles participated in the Secretary of Defense’s Executive Fellowship embedded with CACI International and the Chief of Staff Association’s Executive Training at Säid Business School, University of Oxford.
 
As chief of staff, he assists the NIA director and deputy director with overseeing, managing, and shaping the Naval Intelligence Enterprise for current and future mission requirements. He assumed this position in October 2022.
 
Charles’s personal awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.