Captain Frank Okata joined the National War College faculty in 2024 following a tour as Commanding Officer of Singapore Area Coordinator. A Surface Warfare Officer with cruiser, destroyer, frigate, and expeditionary experience. Previously commanded the San Diego-based guided missile destroyer, USS PINCKNEY (DDG 91) and Task Force SIX THREE based in Naples, Italy. Served on the staffs of the Chief of Naval Operations as NATO/Northern Europe Desk Officer, Joint Task Force National Capital Region, and on the Intelligence Oversight Directorate of the Deputy Undersecretary of the Navy for Policy. A 1996 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Captain Okata also attended the Naval Postgraduate School and the Joint Forces Staff College. An Atlanticist; foreign languages include Portuguese, French, and Spanish.
FUNCTIONAL EXPERTISE: Logistics, Cold War
REGIONAL EXPERTISE & INTEREST: NATO, EU, Sub Saharan Africa, and South America