NORFOLK, Va. - Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station Atlantic (NCTAMS LANT) held a change of command ceremony July 31 at Naval Station Norfolk.
During the ceremony, Capt. Bradley L. Kinkead, a native of Webster, N.Y., relieved Capt. Jody H. Grady, of Hazen, Ark., who has served as commanding officer since October 2017.
“Being at NCTAMS LANT is not for the faint of heart,” said Grady. “We are warfighters. As communicators, we are most often supporting warfighters. We provide support in the form of communications that increase the efficiency, effectiveness, and, yes, lethality, of the Navy.”
During Grady’s command, NCTAMS LANT accomplished several notable achievements, including: breaking ground on a new building for the unit; restoring the transmission facility in Puerto Rico to full mission capability following damage sustained by Hurricane Maria; winning the “Golden Anchor” for retention excellence; receiving a superb inspection score of 97.5 percent for the 3M program in late 2018; and, the regional calibration lab becoming fully accredited.
NCTAMS LANT was also recognized in 2017 by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) as a Facility of the Year Runner-up and the detachments in Northwest, Jacksonville and Rota won their respective categories in 2018.
"It has been the highlight of my career and an honor to lead the civilians and Sailors of NCTAMS LANT,” Grady concluded. “I leave confident that NCTAMS LANT is in CAPT Kinkead's capable hands."
Vice Adm. Brian Brown, commander, Naval Information Forces, was the presiding officer and guest speaker at the ceremony.
“America’s Navy is the best in the world, but we are being challenged every day in the information environment,” said Brown as he discussed an emerging great power competition and the importance of information and communication in that competition. Central to competing and winning in the maritime domain are organizations like NCTAMS LANT. Our Fleet’s ability to communicate and share information comes together right here. The fleet doesn’t operate effectively, and we can’t run our nuclear command and control, without this organization.”
Brown went on to recognize the efforts of the NCTAMS LANT crew, but also applauded Grady’s leadership.
“Captain Grady would be the first to say that all the accolades for the last couple of years are due to the [NCTAMS LANT] team, but I want to tell you you’ve got a great leader,” said Brown. “Great leaders allow others to operate within their authorities and foster a command climate where people excel, and simply there were some pretty amazing things done during his tenure.”
The admiral then welcomed Kinkead to the helm saying he is the right person at the right time.
“What’s always good about the Navy is we’re good at succession. We always grow great leaders to follow great leaders.”
During his remarks, Kinkead thanked Grady for his leadership and stated that the team he is inheriting is dedicated and experienced. He noted that NCTAMS LANT is a “go-to” destination for information warriors.
“Being an East Coast fleet-focused communicator, there is no better assignment than a leadership position at NCTAMS LANT,” he said.
While there may be a leadership change at NCTAMS LANT, Kinkead made clear that the mission remains the same and he intends for the command to sustain excellence.
“We will continue to excel in providing unrivaled communications capabilities to over roughly half the globe,” he said. “Providing information superiority is what we do – and we do it better than anyone does!”
Kinkead is a 1993 graduate of the United States Naval Academy where he earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Computer Science. He went on to earn three Masters Degrees, including Information Technology Management, National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College, and Joint Campaign Planning and Strategy from Joint Forces Staff College. He also received a Space Systems Certificate from the Naval Postgraduate School.
His most recent assignment was with the commander, Naval Network Warfare Command, as the executive officer.
NCTAMS LANT operates and defends responsive, resilient, and secure computer and telecommunications systems, providing information superiority for global maritime and joint forces.
Not only does the command function as a major information and processing node, but it also serves as the regional headquarters for 46 activities and base communications offices located up and down the East Coast, as far west as North Dakota, and overseas in Puerto Rico, Cuba, Iceland, Spain, Greece, and Africa. One reserve unit, NCTAMS LANT DET Norfolk, also provides support to NCTAMS LANT.
The 2,500 military, Department of Navy civilians, and contractors working within the NCTAMS LANT region directly support more than 187 afloat units, 4,223 message platforms and 190,000 base communication subscribers in the continental United States.
Learn more about NCTAMS LANT at https://www.nctamslant.navy.mil.