Tim Gallaudet is a retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral and oceanographer who served 32 years before retiring in 2017. He held senior roles including Commander of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, Oceanographer of the Navy, and Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Observatory.
After Navy service he served as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Acting NOAA Administrator from 2017 to 2021. He has publicly described a 2015 secure email about UAP encounters with Navy aircraft and advocated for scientific study of transmedium UAP.
- BS Oceanography, U.S. Naval Academy, 1989; MS and PhD, Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
- Retired July 2017 as Rear Admiral after 32 years; last active-duty role Oceanographer of the Navy.
- January 2015: Received urgent secure email on UAP near-misses during Roosevelt exercise while CNMOC commander.
- November 13, 2024: Testified before House Oversight Committee on the incident and UAP over-classification.
- Current roles include CEO Ocean STL Consulting and research affiliate, Galileo Project.
- United StatesBorn 1967
- U.S. NavyRear Admiral, 1985–2017
- NOAAActing Administrator 2017–2019
- U.S. Naval ObservatorySuperintendent 2011–2013
- Scripps Institution of OceanographyMS 1991, PhD 2001
- U.S. Naval AcademyBS 1989
- Galileo ProjectResearch affiliate
Background
Timothy Cole Gallaudet was born March 18, 1967, in Hollywood, California. He graduated with distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in oceanography and was commissioned an ensign. He immediately pursued graduate studies at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, earning a master's degree in 1991.
Gallaudet's early Navy career included operational tours as a meteorology and oceanography officer. He served aboard USS Kitty Hawk as officer of the deck and Meteorology and Oceanography Division Officer. Additional assignments took him to ships including USS Peleliu and USNS Harkness, supporting operations such as Southern Watch and Enduring Freedom.
He returned to Scripps for doctoral studies from 1997 to 2001, completing a PhD in oceanography focused on shallow-water acoustics. After resuming active duty, Gallaudet held staff positions at the Naval Oceanographic Office and with the Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command at Stennis Space Center, Mississippi.
From 2003 to 2005 he served as plans and programs officer under the Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command. In 2008 he joined the Chief of Naval Operations staff as Deputy Navigator of the Navy. He later became plank-owner commanding officer of the Naval Oceanography Special Warfare Center.
Gallaudet served as Superintendent and Commanding Officer of the U.S. Naval Observatory from 2011 to 2013. He then returned to the CNO staff and assumed command of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command in June 2014, also serving as Oceanographer and Hydrographer of the Navy until retirement in July 2017.
In October 2017, after Senate confirmation, Gallaudet became Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. He simultaneously served as Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Acting NOAA Administrator until 2019, then continued as Deputy NOAA Administrator until January 2021.
During his NOAA tenure he oversaw a $6 billion budget, 20,000 personnel, satellites, ships, and research programs. He advanced the agency's Blue Economy strategy covering marine transportation, sustainable seafood, ocean mapping, and coastal resilience while supporting national security initiatives.
Gallaudet has long held an interest in UAP. While CNMOC commander in January 2015 he received a secure-network email from Fleet Forces Command reporting multiple near-midair collisions with unidentified objects during a pre-deployment exercise involving the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group. The message, which included the Go Fast video, disappeared from recipients' accounts the next day.
He has described the episode as evidence of over-classification that prevented safety-of-flight responses. In later public statements and November 2024 congressional testimony he recounted the incident, expressed support for David Grusch's allegations of crash retrieval programs, and called for de-stigmatization and scientific study of undersea and transmedium UAP.
Gallaudet has served on advisory boards for Americans for Safe Aerospace, the UAP Disclosure Fund, and the Sol Foundation. He is a research affiliate with Harvard's Galileo Project and a member of the National Academies Ocean Studies Board and the White House Ocean Research Advisory Panel.
Where They Are Now
As of October 2026, Tim Gallaudet is CEO of Ocean STL Consulting, LLC, providing strategic advice to ocean, weather, and space technology firms, nonprofits, and research institutions. He hosts The American Blue Economy Podcast and serves as a trustee of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.
He remains active in UAP advocacy through affiliations with the Galileo Project and Americans for Safe Aerospace while contributing articles on marine science and national security. His book Holding Fast in Heavy Seas is scheduled for publication in 2026.
Last updated 25 October 2026