Today, Captain Dom Lovello will be relieved by Captain Joel Yates as Commanding Officer, Navy Information Operations Command Georgia. Captain Joel Yates’ biography follows:

Captain Joel A. Yates, USN
Commanding Officer
NIOC Georgia / Commander, Task Force 1050

Captain Joel Yates is a native of Beaverton, Michigan.  He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in January 1988 as a Cryptologic Technician (Collection) and earned his commission as a Cryptologic Warfare Limited Duty Officer.  Yates is a graduate of Chaminade University of Honolulu where he received a Bachelor of Art in English.  He holds a Master of Military Strategic Studies from the Marine Corps University.

Through his enlisted career, Captain Yates served two tours of duty as a Direct Support Operator and Supervisor at Naval Security Group Detachment Rota, Spain and Naval Security Group Activity Kunia, Hawaii.  Additionally, he served on shore duty at Naval Security Group Activity Misawa, Japan where he did analysis and reporting.  In 1998, he was initiated and promoted to Chief Petty Officer.  In August 2000, Captain Yates was Commissioned as a Cryptologic Warfare Limited Duty Officer.

His first assignment as an officer was to Naval Security Group Activity Rota, Spain to fly as a Special Evaluator aboard EP-3E aircraft.   While there, he flew more than 1300 hours over the former states of Yugoslavia, the Mediterranean and Caribbean Sea.  Following that tour he was assigned to Naval Aviation Systems Command Patuxent River as the Staff Cryptologist where he led a Deputy, Chief of Naval Operations-tasked team to investigate Navy-wide Information Operations capabilities. 

In May 2005, Yates took charge of Naval Security Group Detachment Kaneohe Bay as the Officer in Charge, where he deployed flight crews who flew over the skies of Iraq, Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, the Philippines, and the Caribbean Sea.  After a rewarding tour in Hawaii, he was assigned to Navy Information Operations Command Georgia, where he was the Fleet Information Operations Center Deputy Department Head and the Joint Operations Department Head. 

From Georgia, Yates reported as the Executive Officer for Navy Information Operations Command San Diego and led the command to deploy Information Operations teams and Cyber Blue teams throughout the Pacific Area of Operations.  After San Diego, he attended the Marine Corps University Command and Staff College where he earned his Master’s degree. His next tour was as the Cryptologic Warfare Officer Community Manager at The Bureau of Naval Personnel Command, where he managed a large manpower authorization growth.

From BUPERs, he reported to Navy Information Operations Command GEORGIA to serve as Team Leader for 107 Combat Mission Team, building, training, and certifying the team.   Captain Yates was then selected and served as the Commanding Officer, Navy Information Operations Command Yokosuka from August 2017 to July 2019. 

After his success in command, Captain Yates served as a Deputy, Chief of Naval Operations for Information Operations Fellow in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence until May 2020.  Yates then reported to US Central Command, where he served as the Joint Intelligence Center Central Operations Chief.

His personal awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (three awards), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (six awards), and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (five awards).