Lieutenant General Karen H. Gibson (Ret.)
Last Name: Gibson
First Name: Karen
Medals and Honors: Army Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal (combat device)
ACNSL Offices and Committees:
Rank: Lieutenant General
Service/Department: U.S. Army
Last or Significant Assignment:
Sergeant at Arms of the U.S. Senate
Director of Intelligence for U.S. Central Command
Areas of Expertise:
Intelligence Operations, Cybersecurity, Middle East
The Honorable Karen H. Gibson has been a public servant for 37 years, first as an active-duty U.S. Army intelligence officer for 33 years, where she attained the rank of Lieutenant General, then as Sergeant at Arms of the U.S. Senate for an additional four years.
As an Army officer, Karen performed in numerous intelligence and cyberspace roles, culminating her military service as Deputy Director of National Intelligence for National Security Partnerships at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. In this role, she was responsible for the Intelligence Community’s national-level cyberspace, space, and law enforcement portfolios.
She previously served as Director of Intelligence for U.S. Central Command, where she wielded National and Defense intelligence assets ranging from clandestine ground operatives to exquisite technical collection from space to support national security objectives and military operations in the U.S. Central Command region spanning from Egypt to Pakistan and Yemen to Kazakhstan. She is especially proud of her service as Director of Intelligence for Operation Inherent Resolve, the multinational coalition to defeat the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, and a Deputy Commanding General for U.S. Army Cyber Command, where she designed and built U.S. Cyber Command’s first functional Joint Force Headquarters-Cyber for synchronizing offensive and defensive operations in cyberspace.
A seasoned combat veteran, Ms. Gibson led intelligence-operations centers in Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, and East Africa. Among other awards and decorations, she is a recipient of the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, the Distinguished Superior Service Medal with combat device, the National Defense University’s Rear Admiral Grace Hopper Award, and the U.S. Army’s MacArthur Leadership Award.
Shortly after her military retirement and following the attack at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th , 2021, Ms. Gibson was asked to serve as U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms, where she worked with partners across the Legislative and Executive Branches to rebuild the Capitol’s security programs and restore faith and confidence in the Senate’s security. As the Senate’s chief law enforcement officer, she was responsible for all aspects of security in the Capitol and Senate buildings, not only in Washington, D.C., but at more than 450 Senate offices across the country.
She managed the Senate’s emergency, life safety, and continuity of government programs as well as personal and residential security programs. She was the Senate’s protocol officer and executive officer, enforcing rules regulating the Senate and was responsible for all aspects of the Senate’s technical communication and cybersecurity, as well as a broad array of installation support services for the Senate community.
A Montana native, Ms. Gibson earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University, a M.S. in National Security Strategy from the National War College, and a M.S. in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University. She taught national security strategy as an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University for two years and is the recipient of an honorary doctorate degree from the National Intelligence University
