Colonel Danielle Thomas was commissioned in May 2004 after
graduating from the United States Naval Academy with a bachelor's
degree in Oceanography. She has served in diverse leadership and
technical roles across multiple combat deployments and strategic
assignments.
Early in her career, LtCol Thomas deployed five times in support of
operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Philippines, and with the 31st Marine
Expeditionary Unit, serving as Operations and Control Analysis Center
Watch Officer and Signals Intelligence Detachment Officer-in-Charge. She
was selected as a National Security Agency Junior Officer Cryptologic Career Program intern,
completing the program in May 2011.
As a Captain, she commanded B Company, 1st Radio Battalion during a deployment to
Afghanistan (2011-2013) and later served as Operations Officer. She continued advancing
through field-grade assignments including action officer at I MEF G2, and attended Marine
Corps University Command and Staff College where she earned a Master of Arts in Military
Studies. She then served as Special Technical Operations Chief at Headquarters Marine Corps
in the Pentagon.
Following promotion to Lieutenant Colonel in 2020, she served as the Intelligence and
Executive Officer of I MEF Information Group before assuming command of Marine Cryptologic
Support Battalion (2021-2023). Post command, she completed Top Level School at the
National Defense University, earning a Master of Science in Strategic Information and
Cyberspace Studies from the College of Information and Cyberspace.
Following graduation, Col Thomas co-led the Artificial Intelligence Task Force at the Cyber
National Mission Force, United States Cyber Command. She resides in Annapolis, MD with
her husband Adam, a practicing psychologist and former Marine, and their two daughters.