VADM Retired Joe Kernan

Chief Security Office and Board Member

SAP NS2

Joe Kernan is a retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral and former Under Secretary of Defense, Intelligence and Security. He served in both the Surface and Naval Special Warfare communities for 36 years. He is currently the Chief Security Officer and a Board Member for SAP NS2 and has advised in several other external roles to facilitate corporate strategies and the adoption of commercial technology in the government and public sectors. He was a founding Board member and first Chairman of NS2 Serves, a veteran training and employment program that continues to be conducted by SAP NS2.

Joe has experience and expertise in establishing Defense and Intelligence enterprise strategies, policies, and priorities, and developing related investments programs. In his most recent government role, he was the principal intelligence, counterintelligence and security advisor to the Secretary of Defense and the Director of Defense Intelligence in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. On behalf of the Secretary of Defense, he exercised authority, direction and control over the National Security Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, the National Geospatial Agency and the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency.

His military service included:
• Commanding Officer, SEAL Team TWO
• Director/Deputy Director, Joint Special Operations
Command
• Commander, Naval Special Warfare Development
Group
• Director of Operations, Center for Special
Operations, US Special Operations CMD
• Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command
• Commander, US Fourth Fleet
• Senior Military Assistant to former Defense Secretary
Robert M. Gates
• Deputy Commander, US Southern Command

Joe graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1977 (BS) and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces
in 1997 (MS).

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