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Kenneth Braithwaite

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Kenneth John Braithwaite II (born 1960) is an American politician, diplomat, businessman and naval officer who served as the 77th secretary of the Navy from May 29, 2020, to January 20, 2021, in the Donald Trump administration. Prior to that, he served as the U.S. ambassador to Norway, beginning February 8, 2018. Braithwaite is a retired U.S. Navy one-star rear admiral, having served in the Iraq War.

Kenneth Braithwaite
77th United States Secretary of the Navy
In office
May 29, 2020 – January 20, 2021
PresidentDonald Trump
DeputyGregory J. Slavonic (acting)
SecretaryMark Esper
Christopher C. Miller (acting)
Preceded byRichard V. Spencer
Succeeded byCarlos Del Toro
31st United States Ambassador to Norway
In office
February 8, 2018 – May 29, 2020
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded bySamuel D. Heins
Succeeded byMarc Nathanson
Personal details
Born
Kenneth John Braithwaite II

1960 (age 63–64)
Livonia, Michigan, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Children2
EducationUnited States Naval Academy (BS)
University of Pennsylvania (MPA)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Navy
Years of service1984–1993 (active)
1993–2011 (reserve)
RankRear Admiral (lower half)
Battles/warsGulf War
Iraq War
AwardsLegion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Combat Action Ribbon

Early life and education

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Braithwaite was born on December 24, 1960, and is from Livonia, Michigan.[1][2] He attended the United States Naval Academy and graduated with a bachelor's degree in naval engineering and political science in 1984.[3][4] He later earned a master's degree in government administration from the University of Pennsylvania, Fels Institute of Government,[5] in 1995.[6]

Braithwaite obtained additional graduate qualifications from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, as well as the Air Command and Staff College at the Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.[7]

From 1993 to 1996, Braithwaite was town councilman for the borough of Ridley Park, Pennsylvania.[8] He later became a top advisor for former U.S. Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania from 1997 to 2000, serving as his state director.[9]

Military career

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Official portrait of Rear Admiral Braithwaite, c. 2007

Braithwaite was commissioned as an ensign in 1984,[1] and was initially selected as a special assistant in the Office of Legislative Affairs on Capitol Hill. He became a naval aviator in April 1986 and was assigned to anti-submarine patrol missions with Patrol Squadron 17 out of Naval Air Station Barbers Point, Hawaii.[6] In April 1988 he was reassigned to public affairs duties[6] as director of public affairs aboard the aircraft carrier USS America (CV-66), and in 1990 he became the chief of public affairs to the commander of Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.[10] He made NATO deployments to the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean in response to the start of the Gulf War.[11]

Braithwaite's active duty service ended in 1993, but he immediately joined the Navy Reserve.[6] From 1993 until 2002, he served in different roles with numerous commands, including the 6th Fleet, 7th Fleet, U.S. Pacific Fleet and Commander Carrier Group Two.

In 2002, he was selected as commanding officer of Navy Combat Camera Atlantic (Reserve) and during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, he was deployed with his command in support of combat operations. In 2004, he was selected as the director of the Joint Public Affairs Support Element-Reserve, part of Joint Enabling Capabilities Command. In this role, he commanded a 50-person joint public affairs expeditionary unit that was forward deployed to support Combatant Commanders in time of conflict. In 2005, he deployed to Islamabad, Pakistan to serve as the director of Strategic Communications, concurrently reporting to the commander for Disaster Response and to the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan.[12][13]

He was nominated to the rank of rear admiral (lower half) in early 2007[14] while serving as director of the Joint Public Affairs Support Element at Norfolk.[15] His promotion was approved by the U.S. Senate that June.[16][17] He served as the Navy's vice chief of Information until his retirement in June 2011.[18]

Business career

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Braithwaite, then-vice chief of Information, meets with Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick on July 1, 2008

Upon leaving active duty in June 1993, Braithwaite enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania.[19] Shortly thereafter he was hired by Atlantic Richfield (ARCO) as Manager of Operations where he managed a multi-disciplined, union-represented workforce. He was later assigned to ARCO's Washington DC office to work on regulatory affairs.[20]

Cambridge Analytica

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In January 2020, CBS News reported that Braithwaite may have had a business relationship with Cambridge Analytica before he became ambassador to Norway, as documents from the company showed that he had a one-year contract with the company beginning on November 1, 2016. Braithwaite denied having entered into a contract with Cambridge Analytica, saying he only conducted short-lived discussions with the company, only informally provided advice, and that he only entered into a non-disclosure agreement. CBS News noted that he was still required to disclose those ties.[21]

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington suggested that he had a conflict of interest when he presented the U.S. Ambassador's Award to Norwegian shipping magnate Thomas Wilhelmsen because Wilhelmsen's cousin and co-heir to the Wilhelmsen company Olympia Paus is married to Alexander Nix, the former CEO of Cambridge Analytica.[21] Braithwaite denied that he had a conflict of interest.[21]

Donald Trump administration

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Braithwaite being sworn in as the 77th U.S. secretary of the Navy, with his wife Melissa holding the Bible, on May 29, 2020

Braithwaite was nominated by President Donald Trump[22] to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Norway. His nomination was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on December 21, 2017, by voice vote.[22]

On November 24, 2019, after the firing of Richard V. Spencer, Trump said he would nominate Braithwaite to become the U.S. secretary of the Navy. He was formally nominated on March 2, 2020,[23] confirmed by voice vote on May 21,[24] and sworn in on May 29, 2020.[25][26][27]

In his 8 months as Secretary of the Navy, Braithwaite incurred approximately $2.4 million in travel costs paid by taxpayer funds. At the time, other senior civilian staff reduced their travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic; Braithwaite travelled more than any other senior Pentagon civilian. The week prior to Joe Biden's inauguration, Braithwaite spent $232,000 to fly to Wake Island, a tiny atoll where no sailors or Marines are stationed. He spent more than $24,000 to attend the Army–Navy football game. He made more than one visit to Hawaii during his 8 months. Braithwaite defended his extensive travel at taxpayer expense, saying, "I submit it's impossible to lead men and women deployed around the world from behind a desk in Washington."[28]

Awards and decorations

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Braithwaite's personal awards include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal with Oak leaf cluster, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat “V”, Navy Achievement Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon and various other awards.[12][29]

Personal life

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Braithwaite is married to Melissa Losito Braithwaite and they have a daughter Grace, and a son Harrison.[30]

References

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  1. ^ a b "PN657 — Civilian". U.S. Congress. February 9, 1984. Archived from the original on July 7, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  2. ^ "U.S. Ambassador to Norway: Who Is Kenneth Braithwaite?". AllGov. November 10, 2017. Archived from the original on December 19, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  3. ^ "Ken Braithwaite Joins VHA Inc. as Senior Vice President and Executive Officer for VHA's East Coast and Pennsylvania Offices". Marketwired via Yahoo! News. November 1, 2011. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  4. ^ "Notable Graduates Kenneth J. Braithwaite". U.S. Naval Academy. Archived from the original on December 19, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  5. ^ "Giving by individuals to projects and programs" (PDF). Penn Arts and Sciences. June 30, 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 23, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d "Biography". U.S. Navy. Archived from the original on October 28, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  7. ^ "Kenneth J. Braithwaite". U. S. Department of State. Archived from the original on February 14, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  8. ^ "Braithwaite Kenneth J. – Kingdom of Norway – October 2017" (Certificate of Competency). U.S. State Department. October 15, 2017. Archived from the original on November 25, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  9. ^ Terruso, Julia (November 25, 2019). "Trump's pick to lead the Navy is a Penn grad and former suburban Philadelphia councilman". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  10. ^ "Rear Admiral Kenneth J. Braithwaite, II Retired". U. S. Department of the Navy. July 16, 2013. Archived from the original on December 20, 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  11. ^ "Kenneth J. Braithwaite (2020-2021)". Naval History and Heritage Command. March 8, 2021. Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Braithwaite Kenneth J. – Kingdom of Norway – October 2017". state.gov. October 15, 2017. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  13. ^ Carey, Kathleen E. (October 24, 2017). "Ex-Ridley Park pol picked as ambassador to Norway". The Delaware County Daily Times. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  14. ^ "SECDEF Announces Flag Officer Assignments". www.navy.mil. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  15. ^ "SECDEF Announces Flag Officer Assignments". U. S. Department of the Navy. February 27, 2007. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  16. ^ "PN296 - 1 nominee for Navy, 110th Congress (2007-2008)". www.congress.gov. June 28, 2007. Archived from the original on April 23, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  17. ^ "PN296 — Capt. Kenneth J. Braithwaite — Navy". U.S. Congress. June 28, 2007. Archived from the original on October 26, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  18. ^ "Congressional Record". www.congress.gov. Archived from the original on April 22, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  19. ^ "Ambassador Kenneth J. Braithwaite". U.S. Embassy in Norway. Archived from the original on January 2, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  20. ^ "U.S. Ambassador to Norway: Who Is Kenneth Braithwaite?". AllGov. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  21. ^ a b c "Secretary of the Navy nominee may have had undisclosed contract with Cambridge Analytica, documents suggest". www.cbsnews.com. January 20, 2020. Archived from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  22. ^ a b "PN1173 — Kenneth J. Braithwaite — Department of State". U.S. Congress. October 23, 2017. Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  23. ^ "Seventeen Nominations and One Withdrawal Sent to the Senate". whitehouse.gov. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2021 – via National Archives.
  24. ^ "PN1602 — Kenneth J. Braithwaite — Department of Defense". U.S. Congress. May 21, 2020. Archived from the original on April 7, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  25. ^ "Kenneth Braithwaite Sworn in as Secretary of the Navy". USNI News. May 29, 2020. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  26. ^ Kenney, Caitlin (May 29, 2020). "Kenneth Braithwaite is sworn in as the 77th Secretary of the Navy". Stripes. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  27. ^ Glenn, Mike (May 29, 2020). "New Navy Secretary sworn in at the Pentagon". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on June 17, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  28. ^ "$2.3 million on travel in 8 months: Trump Navy secretary flew around the world, despite COVID-19". USA Today. May 10, 2021.
  29. ^ Tankersley, Shelby (June 5, 2020). "Livonia native Kenneth Braithwaite named U.S. Navy secretary". Hometown Life. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  30. ^ Meehan, Patrick (June 23, 2011). "Honoring Rear Admiral Kenneth J. Braithwaite, II". U.S. Congress. Archived from the original on October 26, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
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Diplomatic posts
Preceded by United States Ambassador to Norway
2018–2020 		Succeeded by
Richard Riley
Acting
Political offices
Preceded by United States Secretary of the Navy
2020–2021 		Succeeded by
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