Q:Facts: - caption: vice admiral kurt w. tidd - allegiance: united states of america - commands: u.s. carrier strike group 8 naval forces southern command / u.s. 4th fleet - awards: defense of merit -lrb- 4 -rrb- distinguished service medal defense superior service medal legion - serviceyears: 1978 - - name: kurt w. tidd - branch: united states navy - image: vadm kurt tidd 2013.jpg - rank: vice admiral Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of kurt w. tidd .
A:
kurt w. tidd -lrb- born c. 1956 -rrb- is a united states navy officer .he currently holds the rank of vice admiral .he is currently serving as the assistant to the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff under general martin e. dempsey .prior to the current assignment , admiral tidd served as the director for operations , joint staff -lrb- j-3 -rrb- from 2012 to 2013 .he also served as the commander , u.s. naval forces southern command / u.s. 4th fleet from august 5 , 2011 to june 22 , 2012 .