Robert Harward Vice Admiral Robert S . Harward , Jr . is a Navy SEAL and the current Deputy Commander of the United States Central Command . He served as the Deputy Commander of U . S . Joint Forces Command and previously commanded Combined Joint Interagency Task Force 435 . Early life and education . Harward was born into a Navy family in Newport , Rhode Island . Harward graduated from Tehran American School in 1974 . After graduation from the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport he was awarded a fleet appointment to the United States Naval Academy and graduated in 1979 . Harward is also a graduate of the College of Naval Command and Staff , the Naval Staff College and the Armed Forces Staff College . He holds a master ’ s degree in International Relations and Strategic Security Affairs , served as a federal executive fellow at RAND and is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ( MIT ) Foreign Policy program . Naval career . Harward reported to Surface Warfare Officer School in Newport with follow - on orders to the USS Scott ( DDG - 995 ) . After completion of a South American deployment in support of Unitas XXIV , he was ordered to Basic Underwater Demolition / SEAL training ( BUD / S ) where he graduated as the honor man of Class 128 . As a Navy SEAL officer Harward was platoon commander of SEAL Team 3 , an assault team leader and operations officer at Naval Special Warfare Development Group , the executive officer of Naval Special Warfare Unit 1 and then the commanding officer SEAL Team 3 . Harward was later appointed Naval Special Warfare task group commander for Operation Desert Thunder in Kuwait , Joint Special Operations task force commander for Operation Rugged Nautilus and deputy commander of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force in support of Operation Joint Forge in Bosnia . Harward assumed command of Naval Special Warfare Group 1 in August 2001 and deployed shortly after September 11 , 2001 , to Afghanistan . He commanded Task Force K - Bar and directed special reconnaissance and direct action missions throughout the country . In October 2002 , Harward deployed as Commander , Task Force 561 where he commanded Naval Special Warfare Task Group Central in Iraq . His forces included all the assets in the Naval Special Warfare inventory as well as forces from the Polish GROM , the United Kingdom Royal Marines and the Kuwaiti Navy . Harward reported to the Executive Office of the President at the White House in August 2003 . He served on the National Security Council staff as the director of Strategy and Defense Issues . In April 2005 , Harward was assigned to the newly formed National Counterterrorism Center in Washington , as the Chairman , Joint Chiefs of Staff representative to the Senior Interagency Strategy Team . From June 2006 to July 2008 , Harward served as the Deputy Commanding General , Joint Special Operations Command , Fort Bragg , North Carolina , and has served multiple combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq . On Nov . 3 , 2008 , Harward assumed the position of Deputy Commander , United States Joint Forces Command . In 2011 , Harward was reappointed to the rank of Vice Admiral and assigned to the position of Deputy Commander , United States Central Command .