The overarching question imparting urgency to this exploration is: Can U.S.-Russian contention in cyberspace cause the two nuclear superpowers to stumble into war? In considering this question we were constantly reminded of recent comments by a prominent U.S. arms control expert: At least as dangerous as the risk of an actual cyberattack, he observed, is cyber operations’ “blurring of the line between peace and war.” Or, as Nye wrote, “in the cyber realm, the difference between a weapon and a non-weapon may come down to a single line of code, or simply the intent of a computer program’s user.”
Vice Adm. Jan Tighe was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and raised in Plantation, Florida. Tighe is a 1984 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and was commissioned as a cryptologist. She studied Russian at the Defense Language Institute and graduated from the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, in 2001 with a doctorate in electrical engineering and a Master Of Science in Applied Mathematics.
Tighes’s previous tours include duty with Naval Security Group Activities in Florida, Virginia and Japan, Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron (VQ) 1, and the Naval Information Warfare Activity. She also had staff assignments on the Headquarters of the Pacific Fleet, Naval Security Group and Naval Network Warfare Command; and served as executive assistant to commander, U.S. Cyber Command. Tighe commanded more than 2,800 multi-service and multi-agency personnel at the National Security Agency/Central Security Service Hawaii in Kunia.
As a flag officer, Tighe served as commander, U.S. Fleet Cyber Command/commander, U.S. 10th Fleet; U.S. Cyber Command deputy J3; director, Decision Superiority in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare (OPNAV N2N6); interim president of the Naval Postgraduate School; and deputy commander, U.S. Fleet Cyber Command/U.S. 10th Fleet.
In July 2016, she assumed duties as the deputy chief of naval operations for Information Warfare and the 66th director of Naval Intelligence.
Tighe wears both the information warfare pin and naval aviation observer wings, earned while deployed as an airborne special evaluator aboard VQ-1 EP-3E aircraft in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Shield/Storm.
Tighe has been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (two awards), the Strike/Flight Air Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (four awards) and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
Tighe is a member of the Acquisition Professionals Community and holds a Level III Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) certification in program management.