Capt. Sharon Pinder

Commanding Officer, Navy Cyber Defense Operations Command (NCDOC)

07 September 2023 Capt. Sharon Pinder, the daughter of a career Air Force Airman, is a native of South Carolina, but called many places home throughout her life.  She graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Systems Engineering and an academic minor in Leadership through her service in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets.  She was commissioned in May 1999 as a Surface Warfare Officer (SWO).  She is a graduate of the Naval War College and holds a Master’s degree in National Security and Strategic Studies.  She redesignated as a Cryptologic Warfare Officer (CWO) in 2003, a part of the larger Information Warfare Community.

Capt. Pinder’s operational assignments as a SWO include assignment to USS Peterson (DD 969) as the Damage Control Assistant, where she deployed ISO Operation Iraqi Free-dom.  Next, she served on USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) as the Training Officer and Assistant Operations Officer.  As a CWO, she deployed with Carrier Strike Group EIGHT on board USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and Carrier Strike Group Ten on board USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) with deployments in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.  Later she was assigned to Amphibious Squadron Eleven on board USS Essex (LHD 2) as the Cryptologic Resource Coordinator and Deputy Information Warfare Commander deploying with the Forward Deployed Naval Forces in Sasebo, Japan.

Ashore, Capt. Pinder served as a Resource Mission Manager at Navy Information Operations Command (NIOC) Colorado; Executive Officer at NIOC Yokosuka, Japan; a Joint Intelligence Planner at United States Central Command; 02 National Mission Team Lead in the Cyber National Mission Force (CNMF); CNMF Task Force One Commander; and Executive Officer of Cyber Strike Activity Sixty Three (CSA-63).  Capt. Pinder fleeted up and commanded CSA-63.  Most recently, Capt. Pinder was the Cyber Warfare Capabilities Branch Head, Crypto-Electronic and Cyber Warfare Division in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations on the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV) staff.

Capt. Pinder is a Joint Qualified Officer and has been awarded various personal, campaign, unit and service awards.