{{Short description|American naval commander (born 1959)}} {{Infobox military person |name=Kirk Lippold |birth_date={{birth date and age|1959|4|29}} |death_date= |birth_place= |death_place= |burial_place= |burial_label= Place of burial |image= |caption=CDR Kirk Lippold, USN |nickname= |allegiance= United States |service_years=1981–2007 |rank= Commander |branch= United States Navy |commands= {{USS|Cole|DDG-67|6}} |unit= |battles= |awards=Defense Superior Service Medal<br />Legion of Merit (three awards)<br />Meritorious Service Medal (three awards)<br />Combat Action Ribbon<br />Navy Commendation Medal (two awards)<br />Joint Service Achievement Medal<br />Navy Achievement Medal (two awards) |relations= |other_work=Adjunct Professor in the United States Naval Academy (2021–present)<br />President of Lippold Strategies, LLC (2012–present)<br />Vice President for Military Policy and Strategic Development of Phillip Stutts & Company, Inc. (2012–2015)<br />Motivation Speaker for the Keppler Speakers Bureau (2007–present) }}

'''Kirk S. Lippold''' (born April 29, 1959<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.publicbackgroundchecks.com/SearchResponse.aspx?view=NM&fn=Kirk&mn=S&ln=Lippold&city=&state=&zip=&dob=19590429&age= |title=You searched: Kirk S Lippold 19590429 |publisher=Public Background Checks |date= |access-date=2013-05-16}}</ref>) is a former U.S. Navy officer. He was the commanding officer of the United States Navy destroyer {{USS|Cole|DDG-67|6}} on October 12, 2000, when the ship was attacked and bombed by al-Qaeda terrorists during a refueling stop in the Yemeni port of Aden, killing 17 U.S. sailors. Lippold assumed command of ''Cole'' on June 25, 1999,<ref>CDR Kirk S Lippold, "[https://web.archive.org/web/20060721034724/http://www.history.navy.mil/shiphist/c/ddg-67/1999.pdf USS ''Cole'' (DDG-67) Command History Report for FY1999]", US Navy (accessed August 21, 2006)</ref> and served until he was relieved on March 9, 2001.<ref>CDR Kevin M Sweeney, "[https://web.archive.org/web/20060721034754/http://www.history.navy.mil/shiphist/c/ddg-67/2001.pdf USS ''Cole'' (DDG-67) Command History Report for FY2001]", US Navy (accessed August 21, 2006)</ref>

==Education== Lippold is a 1981 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. He received a Masters of Science in Systems Engineering (Joint Command, Control and Communications) from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, which he attended from 1987 to 1989. He graduated from United States Army Command and General Staff College in 1994 and from Joint Forces Staff College in 2001.<ref name="LABio">{{cite web|url=http://www.leadingauthorities.com/24337/Kirk_Lippold.htm |title=Kirk Lippold&nbsp;– Leading Authorities speakers bureau biography |publisher=Leadingauthorities.com |date= |access-date=2013-05-16}}</ref>

==Military== Before serving as commanding officer of USS ''Cole'' from 1999 to 2001, Lippold was executive officer on the cruiser {{USS|Shiloh|CG-67|6}}. He also served as the operations officer on the commissioning crew of the destroyer {{USS|Arleigh Burke|DDG-51|6}}, the lead ship of the same destroyer class as ''Cole''. He was division officer aboard the cruiser {{USS|Yorktown|CG-48|6}} and the tank landing ship {{USS|Fairfax County|LST-1193|6}}. Following his departure from ''Cole'', he received a series of desk positions at the Pentagon.<ref name=VP2007>The Virginian-Pilot. [https://archive.today/20130813145526/http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=125273&ran=1138 Former ''Cole'' commander to retire today]. May 24, 2007.</ref> Working in the War on Terrorism Division of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Directorate for Strategic Plans and Policy, Lippold "was instrumental" in the creation of detainee policy in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.<ref name="MFU"/>

A Navy promotion board had selected Lippold for promotion to captain (O-6) in 2002 but he was not confirmed by the United States Senate, this despite a 2001 Navy investigation that concluded that Lippold and his crew probably could not have prevented the attack and should not be punished<ref name="AP"/> (although investigators found that had Lippold followed twelve safety procedures, among several dozen which were not observed per the existing security requirements in Aden, the attack could have been mitigated or prevented).<ref name="NYT2">{{cite news|title=Senators Question Handling of ''Cole'' Case|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/04/world/senators-question-handling-of-cole-case.html|date=2001-05-04|work=New York Times|access-date=2009-02-24|first=James|last=Dao}}</ref> Subsequent Navy promotion boards continued to select Lippold for captain, and in all cases the selection was subsequently struck down by the Senate. On August 22, 2006, the Associated Press reported that Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter removed Lippold from the promotion list.<ref name="AP">{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|url=http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,110801,00.html?ESRC=navynews.RSS|title=Cole Skipper Off Promotion List|date=August 22, 2006|access-date=2009-02-24}}</ref> Secretary of the Navy Winter concluded after reviewing the matter that Lippold's actions before the attack on October 12, 2000, "...did not meet the high standard..." expected of the Navy's commanding officers. Based on that assessment, Winter determined that Lippold was "...not the best and fully qualified for promotion to the higher grade..." of Captain and struck him from being further eligible for promotion.<ref name="AP"/>

Lippold's final U.S. Navy assignment was to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in the International Strategy Division.<ref name="LABio"/> He retired as a commander in May 2007 at the age of 48 during a ceremony at the United States Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C.<ref>{{cite news|title=Former Cole commander to retire today |url= https://pilotonline.com/news/military/article_661b02ea-76a0-502c-ac7b-e97b074152db.html|date=2007-05-24|work=Virginia Pilot|access-date=2019-04-05|first=Dale|last=Eisman}}</ref>

== Civilian career == Lippold is a senior military fellow with Military Families United, an advocacy group opposed to the release of prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base.<ref name="MFU">Military Families United website: [http://www.militaryfamiliesunited.org/index.php?q=commander-kirk-s-lippold Commander Kirk S. Lippold, United States Navy (Ret.) Biography], accessed on February 24, 2009.</ref><ref name="NYT">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/us/politics/07gitmo.html|title=Suspects Will Face Justice, Obama Tells Families of Terrorism Victims|work=New York Times|date=2009-02-06|access-date=2009-02-24 | first1=Jeff | last1=Zeleny | first2=Elisabeth | last2=Bumiller}} by Jeff Zeleny and Elisabeth Bumiller.</ref><ref name="MiamiHerald">{{Cite news|url=http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/guantanamo/story/918427.html|title=Busy day at Guantánamo: Captive leaves; attorney general arrives|work=Miami Herald|first=Carol|last=Rosenberg|date=2009-02-24|access-date=2009-02-24}}</ref>

On June 22, 2009, ''The Washington Times'' published an op-ed by Lippold that was critical of the Barack Obama administration, for not showing enough sympathy to American victims of terror.<ref name=WashingtonTimes-2009-06-22>{{Cite news| url=http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jun/22/obamas-invisible-terror-victims/| title=Obama's invisible terror victims| publisher=The Washington Times| date=2009-06-22| author=Kirk Lippold| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100525133806/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jun/22/obamas-invisible-terror-victims/| archive-date=2010-05-25| url-status=live| access-date=2010-02-02}}</ref> Lippold asserted that the families of the victims of terror should play a role in deciding which terror suspects should be tried, and in which kind of court they should be tried.

On February 4, 2010, the ''Las Vegas Review-Journal'' reported that Lippold was considering a run for U.S. Senate in Nevada against Harry Reid.<ref name="reviewjournal">{{Cite news|url=http://www.lvrj.com/news/breaking_news/Former-commander-of-USS-Cole-mulls-run-against-Reid-83573462.html|title=Former commander of USS ''Cole'' considers run against Reid|work=Las Vegas Review-Journal|first=Steve|last=Tetreault|date=2010-02-04|access-date=2010-02-08}}</ref> He did not enter the race. Instead, he ran for the Republican nomination in the 2011 Nevada 2nd congressional district special election. He lost to Mark Amodei and declined to run as an Independent.{{Citation needed|date=October 2019}}

On December 12, 2012, Phillip Stutts & Company Inc., a political marketing organization, announced that Lippold was joining the firm as Senior Vice President for Military Policy and Strategic Development.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/tipsheets/politico-influence/2012/12/former-uss-cole-commander-to-join-public-affairs-firm-as-executive-boehner-staffer-moves-to-forbes-tate-coalition-calls-for-appointment-of-new-fec-commissioners-009654 |title=Former USS ''Cole'' commander to join public affairs firm as executive&nbsp;– Boehner staffer moves to Forbes-Tate&nbsp;– Coalition calls for appointment of new FEC commissioners&nbsp;– POLITICO Influence |publisher=Politico.Com |date=2012-12-19 |access-date=2013-05-16}}</ref>

On October 12, 2015, the fifteenth anniversary of the bombing of USS ''Cole'', Lippold appeared on ''Your World Cavuto'' and repeated his call from 2009 for justice for the ''Cole'' victims.<ref name="Fox News">{{Cite web|url=http://video.foxnews.com/v/4553297087001/kirk-lippold-still-no-justice-for-uss-cole-victims/?#sp=show-clips |publisher=FoxNews.com |work=Your World Cavuto |title=Kirk Lippold: Still no justice for USS Cole victims |date=2015-10-12 |access-date=2015-10-13 |first1=Kirk |last1=Lippold |first2=Neil |last2=Cavuto}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [http://www.cole.navy.mil/ Official website of USS ''Cole''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429051711/http://www.cole.navy.mil/ |date=2011-04-29 }} * {{navsource|05/01067}} * Official Department of Defense FOIA files on the USS ''Cole'' [http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/foi/reading_room/navynews.pdf] [https://web.archive.org/web/20060317235448/http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/foi/reading_room/navynews2.pdf] [http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/foi/reading_room/navynews3.pdf]{{dead link|date=April 2026|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} * {{C-SPAN|1034042}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lippold, Kirk S}} Category:United States Naval Academy alumni Category:Naval Postgraduate School alumni Category:Living people Category:United States Navy officers Category:Recipients of the Legion of Merit Category:United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni Category:Place of birth missing (living people) Category:1959 births Category:Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Category:Nevada Republicans