Ted N. Branch

Ted N. Branch
Nickname(s)	Twig
Born	Long Beach, Mississippi
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1979–2016
Rank	Vice Admiral
Commands held	Commanding Officer, Strike Fighter Squadron 15 Commanding Officer, USS Coronado (AGF-11) Commanding Officer, USS Nimitz (CVN 68) Commander, Carrier Strike Group 1 (Carl Vinson Strike Group) Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic Director, Naval Intelligence
Battles/wars	Operation Southern Watch Operation Urgent Fury Operation Earnest Will Operation Deliberate Force Operation Iraqi Freedom Operation Unified Response
Awards	Distinguished Service Medal (1) Legion of Merit (6) Defense Meritorious Service Medal Meritorious Service Medal (2) Air Medal (Strike/Flight numeral 1) Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (3, w/ Combat V) Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal

Ted N. "Twig" Branch retired as a Vice Admiral in the United States Navy on October 1, 2016, after serving the last three years of his 37 year career as the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for information warfare. In that capacity, he was the resource sponsor for the N2N6 portfolio which includes program investments for assured command and control, battlespace awareness, and integrated fires. He was the Navy’s Chief Information Officer, the Director of Navy Cybersecurity, the leader of the Information Warfare Community, and the Director of Naval Intelligence. Admiral Branch was questioned by the Department of Justice regarding the Glenn Defense Marine Asia investigation in November 2013 and his access to classified information was suspended by the Secretary of the Navy.

Branch was a career naval aviator, specializing in A-7 Corsairs and F/A-18 Hornets. He has flown combat missions over Grenada, Lebanon, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Iraq. He has served as the commanding officer of VFA-15 (Strike Fighter Squadron 15), the USS Coronado (AGF-11), the USS Nimitz (CVN 68), Carrier Strike Group One (Carl Vinson Strike Group), and Naval Air Force Atlantic. He has also served on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon.

As the commander of the USS Nimitz (CVN 68), then-Captain Branch was featured prominently in the Emmy award-winning documentary television series Carrier.

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