Captain Robert “Bob” Whitkop, USN (Ret.)
Commander General 2021-2023
CAPT Whitkop, a native of Baltimore, Maryland, received his commission from the NROTC Unit, Jacksonville University in Florida and has earned an MSSM from the University of Southern California. As a Surface Warfare Officer he served in USS ROBERT A OWENS (DD-827), USS VREELAND (FF-1068), USS LUCE (DDG-38), and USS PAUL (FF-1080). Staff Tours include OIC, NASAP/NDSAP/CAAC Bremerton, Washington; Destroyer Squadron 12 (Mayport, Florida); Staff for COMUSNAVCENT in USS LASALLE (AGF-3), Manama, Bahrain; CCG-6 Staff (Mayport, Florida) as N6 and Information Warfare Commander; and OPNAV N6 Staff as a Command and Control Requirements Officer.
Changing designator to Information Warfare Professional he served as CO, NAVCOMTELSTA Jacksonville and Regional N6 for CNRSE; Deputy N6 for Fleet Forces Command; CO, NCTAMS Atlantic (Norfolk) and Regional N6 For CNRMA; Commander NAVCOMTELCOM in Washington DC; and as Director of Architectures and Engineering (N6) and NAO (Plankowner) on staff of Commander, Naval Network Warfare Command.
His military awards include Legion of Merit (3 Awards), Meritorious Service Medal (5 Awards), Navy Commendation Medal (2 Awards), Navy Achievement Medal, and various unit awards. He is recipient of the Naval Order Commander General’s Medal (2).
He has worked as a business manager since 2004 for DigitalNet, BAE Systems, CELTEL Government Systems, Owner of BIB Technologies LLC, GDIT, and Falconwood Inc. He also preformed duties as an OPNAV HQE as Executive Director for the Next Generation Enterprise Networks Special Program Office (NGEN-SPO) from 2009-2010.
Joining the Naval Order as a Charter Member of the Florida First Coast Commandery in 1997, he served as Commander for 3 terms. He is a Life member of the VFW as well as AFCEA. He was awarded the Rockwell Award by AFCEA in 2010 as AFCEAN of the Year for his service to the organization and as President of the Jacksonville AFCEA Chapter.
Captain Whitkop is married to the former Mary Nowadly of Buffalo, New York, and has four children and six grandchildren.
We had a proverbial ‘shot across the bow’ with the First World Trade Center Bombing in 1993, OKC in 1995, and in 2000 with the terrorist attack on USS Cole in Yemen but this series of acts on September 11th, 2001, changed our view of World Terrorism.