The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO VICE ADMIRAL ROBERT D. SHARP
Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today on behalf of myself, Vice Chairman Rubio, Senator Blunt, and all members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence to recognize the service and accomplishments of VADM Robert D. Sharp and congratulate him on his upcoming retirement. His leadership and vision drove the National Geospatial-
Intelligence Agency--NGA--to deliver support to a wide array of customers while simultaneously transforming its operating procedures and business practices. As Director of NGA, Vice Admiral Sharp ensured that timely, relevant, and accurate geospatial intelligence was provided to policymakers, warfighters, first responders, the intelligence community, and the congressional intelligence oversight committees.
A veteran of the war in Afghanistan and the Gulf War, Vice Admiral Sharp served our country during a highly decorated 34-year career with the U.S. Navy, receiving two Bronze Stars, the Legion of Merit, two Defense Superior Service Medals, and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal.
Vice Admiral Sharp's service included operational deployments with USS Ranger (CV61), Carrier Air Wing 2 embarked on USS Constellation (CV 64), and Carrier Group 2 embarked on USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). Additionally, in 2016, Vice Admiral Sharp was tasked with serving as commander, Office of Naval Intelligence, and director, National Maritime Intelligence-Integration Office.
Vice Admiral Sharp culminated his distinguished career as the seventh director of the NGA. In this capacity he also served as the intelligence community's functional manager for GEOINT, head of the National System for Geospatial Intelligence, and chair of the Allied System for Geospatial Intelligence.
As NGA director, Vice Admiral Sharp led 14,500 military, civilian, and contractor women and men with care, compassion, and resourcefulness during the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the government shifted to maximize telework, NGA found new and innovative ways to meet mission demands while ensuring the safety of the workforce and, simultaneously, significantly improving the morale of the workforce.
Vice Admiral Sharp managed the multibillion-dollar annual operating budget of the Agency, including the construction of a new, state-of-
the-art $1.7 billion NGA-West campus in downtown St. Louis, which includes the Senator Roy Blunt Geospatial Learning Center. This innovative facility will be a model for the IC in the future. Under Admiral Sharp's leadership, the agency has maintained a constructive and productive relationship with the city, the local community, academia, and the private sector, marking St. Louis--now alongside Springfield, VA--as a leader in the GEOINT community.
Vice Admiral Sharp also directed the use of new technology and commercial capabilities to meet steadily increasing demands of the customer base for trusted GEOINT with speed, accuracy, and precision--
while working to keep ahead of the speed of change occurring in GEOINT inside and outside government and around the globe. The importance to the Nation--and the world--of the ability to utilize new commercial GEOINT capabilities has recently been made clear during Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Vice Admiral Sharp also refocused investment in great power competition and emphasized the importance of assured positioning, navigation, timing, and targeting.
Throughout his tenure at NGA, Vice Admiral Sharp focused attention on a whole-of-enterprise approach by expanding and deepening relations with partners across the enterprise. In particular, he has fostered increased engagement with colleges and universities and promoted geographic literacy and STEM education in K-12 institutions. NGA has an active CRADA with the University of Virginia and open source intelligence partnerships with William and Mary University and Virginia Tech. NGA has also signed educational partnership agreements with Harris Stowe State University, a historically Black university in St. Louis; University of Missouri St Louis, the most diverse public research institution in the St Louis area; and Gallaudet University, in Washington, DC, the Nation's premier university for deaf and hard of hearing students. These initiatives are representative of Vice Admiral Sharp's career-long commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Vice Admiral Sharp's tenure at NGA was marked by strong leadership and dedication to mission. He inspired a workforce to remain committed to the mission while rapidly transforming with changes in technology and tradecraft during an unprecedented time in the history of the nation. His leadership of NGA and his decades of service to our country displayed honor, courage, and commitment. We congratulate Vice Admiral Sharp on his retirement and thank him for his service to our country.
____________________
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 91
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
Senators' salaries are historically higher than the median US income.
Alerts Sign-up