Commander Christopher Thomas will be speaking to an Honors seminar about counternarcotics policies and programs in Afghanistan on Thursday, April 5, 2018 at 6:30pm in 0120 ANA

COMMANDER CHRISTOPHER THOMAS

Commander Thomas was raised in Potomac, Maryland and was commissioned in the
U.S. Navy upon graduation from the United States Naval Academy. He served on Active Duty
in the Navy as a Surface Warfare officer for over 20 years. In addition to serving at sea on
frigates, destroyers, and cruisers and deploying to every ocean and to every continent, except
Antarctica, he served ashore as an Instructor at the Naval Academy, Financial Programmer on
the Navy Headquarters Staff, Branch Chief at the Missile Defense Agency and finally in the
Executive Office of the President on the staff of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. He
served in Operation Desert Storm and the Global War on Terror and travelled to Afghanistan
seven times while on active duty in the Navy. While at the White House he was responsible for
implementing President George W. Bush’s strategy for counternarcotics in Afghanistan and later
helped author President Obama's counternarcotics strategy for Afghanistan. Although he takes
pride in his work to reduce illicit narcotics supplies, he is most proud of his efforts to improve
drug abuse and addiction treatment access for women and girls.

Commander Thomas was a recipient of the Surface Navy Association Arliegh Burke
Operation Excellence Award, the Naval Academy Smiley-Owendorff Educational Excellence
Award, and ONDCP Director's Excellence Award. He was awarded the Presidential Service
and Secretary of Defense Service Badges and the Defense Superior Service Medal in addition
to numerous other individual and unit awards.

Since retiring from the Navy, he has worked as a defense contractor and currently
oversees multiple Counter Narcotics and Global Threat programs. He was formerly on the
Board of Directors of the Surface Navy Association and currently serves on the Board of
Governors of the Army and Navy Club. In addition to a Bachelor's of Science from the Naval
Academy, he has an MBA and MS in Management, and an MA in National Policy and Strategic
Studies.