Vice Admiral Ted Branch, USN (Ret.)
President of DroneAviator
Ted N. “Twig” Branch was named President of DroneAviator in February 2017 to guide the company in commercializing drone-related products and services globally. Drone Aviator develops tracking and identification technology for deployment with Internet of Things (IoT) devices operating in the National Air Space.
A naval aviator and retired 3-star admiral, Branch commanded top-performing teams at the squadron, ship, aircraft carrier, and carrier strike group levels. He flew A-7s and F/A-18s in combat, completed Navy Nuclear Power Training, and commanded USS Nimitz on an Arabian Gulf combat cruise featured in the PBS documentary “Carrier.” He is a veteran of combat and humanitarian missions throughout the world. As the USS Carl Vinson Strike Group commander, he led initial Navy/Marine Corps relief efforts following the Haiti earthquake.
He commanded the Atlantic Fleet Naval Air Force and his last assignment was Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare and Director of Naval Intelligence. In that role he was responsible for the 13 billion dollar N2N6 Information Warfare portfolio of programs including communications, networks, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, oceanography, meteorology, electronic warfare, cyber, and space systems; and he served as the Navy’s Chief Information Officer, the Director of Navy Cybersecurity, and the leader of the 52,000-strong Information Warfare Corps.
Branch is well known for leading “start-ups” in the military. He developed the current model for aircraft carrier manning, defining optimal manning for every system on a carrier including nuclear propulsion, combat systems, and aviation operations. He also initiated the Navy’s participation in Task Force ISR during Operation Iraqi Freedom, which ensured that the latest intelligence could be leveraged to rapidly identify, direct and field optimal capabilities for American warfighters. Branch led the start-up of Carrier Strike Group One, founded the US/UK aircraft carrier interoperability initiative, initiated much needed corrections to aviation unit manning, and designed and implemented Task Force Cyber Awakening and CYBERSAFE.
Branch is a sought-out consultant in technology areas including cybersecurity and information technology, unmanned systems, aviation and aerospace, nuclear power, and the leadership and training of those organizations and workforces. He is also a Senior Advisor for Academy Securities, Inc. and the Chairman of the Entrepreneurs In Residence Program at CyberTech San Diego.
Ted graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and earned a master’s degree in International Relations from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.