Navy selects captain as new chief of information

The Pentagon is seen in a file photo from 2016. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Marisol Walker)

WASHINGTON — The Navy has tapped a captain, rather than an admiral, to be its next chief of information to oversee the service’s public affairs programs.

Capt. Tamara Lawrence, the current acting chief of information, will take over the post, where she will be “instrumental in shaping how the Navy communicates, now and into the future,” Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said in a statement on Friday.

“I have the utmost confidence in her ability to impact the service in such positive and lasting ways, and I am excited to watch her in action,” Cao said.

Lawrence graduated from Duke University and has graduate degrees from San Diego State University and the National War College, according to the Navy. She has previously completed tours at commands including Naval Special Warfare Command and US Naval Forces Europe and Africa Joint Force.

While the chief of information role traditionally has been held by a rear admiral, Lawrence’s selection comes after MS Now first reported in July that the Navy had implemented some changes to the selection process for the position, and that the person ultimately selected would be of the O-6 rank.

This time, active-duty and reserve Navy captains and Marine Corps colonels were considered for the post, whereas previously only active-duty captains with at least three years of experience were viewed eligible for the job and the respective advancement to rear admiral, MS Now reported at the time. The Navy told MS Now that the change was done in order to widen the number of eligible candidates for the job.

As chief of information, Lawrence will serve as an advisor to Cao and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle, and develop “service-wide guidance about how the Navy will uphold its responsibility to communicate openly and transparently with the public,” the Navy announcement said.

这张摄于2016年的资料照片显示的是五角大楼。（美国陆军一级军士长玛丽索尔·沃克摄）

华盛顿——美国海军任命了一名上校（而不是海军上将）担任下一任信息主管，负责监督海军的公共事务项目。

海军代理部长洪曹周五在一份声明中表示，现任代理信息主管塔玛拉·劳伦斯上校将接任该职位，她将“在塑造海军现在和未来的沟通方式方面发挥重要作用”。

曹女士说：“我对她能够以积极而持久的方式影响这项事业充满信心，我很高兴看到她大显身手。”

据海军方面称，劳伦斯毕业于杜克大学，并拥有圣地亚哥州立大学和美国国家战争学院的研究生学位。她此前曾在海军特种作战司令部和美国海军驻欧洲及非洲联合部队等单位服役。

虽然信息主管一职传统上由海军少将担任，但劳伦斯的当选是在 MS Now 于 7 月份首次报道海军对该职位的选拔程序进行了一些更改之后做出的，最终被选中的人将是 O-6 军衔。

据MS Now当时报道，此次海军现役和预备役上校以及海军陆战队上校均被纳入该职位候选人范围，而此前只有至少拥有三年经验的现役上校才有资格担任此职并晋升为海军少将。海军方面告诉MS Now，此举是为了扩大该职位的候选人范围。

海军公告称，作为信息主管，劳伦斯将担任曹和海军作战部长达里尔·考德尔上将的顾问，并制定“关于海军如何履行其与公众公开透明沟通的责任的全军指导方针”。