Kirk Lippold
| Kirk Lippold | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 29, 1959 |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1981–2007 |
| Rank | Commander |
| Commands held | USS Cole |
| Awards |
Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit (three awards) Meritorious Service Medal (three awards) Combat Action Ribbon Navy Commendation Medal (two awards) Joint Service Achievement Medal Navy Achievement Medal (two awards) |
Commander Kirk S. Lippold, USN (Ret.), (born April 29, 1959) was the Commanding Officer of the USS Cole (DDG-67) on October 12, 2000 when the ship was attacked and bombed by Al-Qaeda terrorists during a refueling stop in the Yemeni port of Aden, killing 17 U.S. sailors. Lippold assumed command of the Cole on June 25, 1999 and served until he was relieved on March 9, 2001.
Lippold is a 1981 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. He received a Masters of Science in Systems Engineering (Joint Command, Control and Communications) from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, which he attended from 1987 to 1989. He graduated from United States Army Command and General Staff College in 1994 and from Joint Forces Staff College in 2001.
Before serving as Commanding Officer of USS Cole from 1999 to 2001, Lippold was Executive officer on USS Shiloh (CG-67). He also served as the Operations officer on the commissioning crew of USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51), the lead ship of the same destroyer class as the USS Cole. He was division officer aboard USS Yorktown (CG-48) and USS Fairfax County (LST-1193). Following his departure from the USS Cole, he received a series of desk positions at the Pentagon. Working in the War on Terrorism Division of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Directorate for Strategic Plans and Policy, Lippold "was instrumental" in the creation of detainee policy in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
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