Karl Owen Thomas (born 1 November 1962) is a United States Navy admiral who serves as the commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command. He most recently served as the deputy chief of naval operations for information warfare and Director of Naval Intelligence.
Biography Born in Fairfax, Virginia, and raised in Northern Virginia, Thomas earned a bachelor's degree in management systems from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1986 and received his commission though the school's Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps program. He later received a Master of Science degree in information technology from the Naval Postgraduate School.
Thomas started off as a carrier aviator in the E-2C Hawkeye; he rose quickly to serve as commanding officer of VAW-117 during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He has served on , , U.S. 6th Fleet Command Ship, , and in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.
Thomas served as the commander of Carrier Strike Group 5 for a time, deploying on out of Yokosuka, Japan. While in that role he took the opportunity to stress "Freedom of Navigation Operations" when his weaker allies couldn't. CVN 76 transited the South China Sea regularly in order to send a message to Beijing that the seas must be free and open.
He then served as Assistant Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Operations, Plans, and Strategy.
In April 2021, he was nominated for promotion to vice admiral and assignment to relieve Vice Admiral William R. Merz as commander of the United States Seventh Fleet.
In November 2025, he was nominated for promotion to admiral and recently took over as the commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command on 1 December 2025
Awards and decorations
Naval Flight Officer BadgeNavy Distinguished Service Medal with two award starsDefense Superior Service MedalLegion of Merit with four award starsMeritorious Service Medal with two award starsAir Medal with Award numeral 1Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with four award starsNavy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with two award starsJoint Meritorious Unit Commendation with bronze oak leaf clusterNavy Unit Commendation with bronze service starNavy Meritorious Unit Commendation with two bronze service starsNavy E Ribbon, 4th awardNational Defense Service Medal with bronze service starArmed Forces Expeditionary Medal with two bronze service starsSouthwest Asia Service Medal with bronze service starGlobal War on Terrorism Expeditionary MedalGlobal War on Terrorism Service MedalArmed Forces Service Medal Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with one silver and three bronze service starsNavy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon with bronze service starSpecial Operations Service Ribbon with bronze service starNavy Expert Rifleman MedalNavy Expert Pistol Shot MedalSurface Warfare Officer PinCommand at Sea insigniaOffice of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge
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References