The U.S. Navy announced two assignments Thursday in its cyber and intelligence officer ranks, selecting Capt. Robert Hoppa for promotion to the rear admiral-lower half rank and assigning him as deputy director for operations at U.S. Cyber Command.
Hoppa, currently director of the National Maritime Intelligence Center, will be succeeded in that role by Rear Adm. Samuel Cox, who will also take command of the Office of Naval Intelligence.
Cox previously served as director of intelligence at Cybercom.
Hoppa’s official bio says he assumed command of the NMIC in August 2011 and was responsible for helping the national intelligence director coordinate activities for identifying and tracking maritime threats against the U.S.
The 27-year veteran has also served as intelligence director for U.S. Joint Forces Command and ISR director for the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command in Afghanistan.
This will be Cox’s second stint as NMIC leader, having previously led the center between 2010 and 2011.
The 32-year veteran was selected to the flag officer ranks in 2007 and has held assignments as head of the Multi-national Intelligence Task Force investigating the sinking of South Korea’s Cheonan warship, senior member in the Afghanistan-Pakistan Hands program, director of Fleet Intelligence, and director of plans and policy for Naval Network Warfare Command.
