Carlton A. James · Biography · 26 Positions · 4 Decades

From Sailor to Founder.
Every Station. Every Mission.

21 years Navy. 3 federal agencies. 5 combat operations. One AI ecosystem.

Carlton A. James

Biography · 13 Positions · 3 Decades

From Sailor to Founder.
Every Station, Every Mission.

Service Record · U.S. Navy

21 Years.
Honorably Served.

E6/IT1 (1993–2004) → LT/O3E (2004–2014) · HONORABLE DISCHARGE

Foreign Service: 9 years, 10 months
Sea Service: 8 years, 1 month, 22 days
Sea Deployments: 8
Separation: Retired — sufficient service for retirement
ESWS — Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist IDWO — Information Dominance Warfare Officer FMF — Fleet Marine Force Warfare Designation

Combat Operations

01Operation SOUTHERN WATCH / ENDURING FREEDOM — Bahrain, May 1999 – Apr 2002
02Operation IRAQI FREEDOM — Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, Jul 2007 – May 2008
03Operation ASSURED DELIVERY — USS Mount Whitney, Sep 2005 – Oct 2003
04Operation ODYSSEY DAWN — USS Mount Whitney LCC-20, Mar 2011
05Operation VALIANT SEARCH — USS Mount Whitney, Mar 2011

Official Decorations — DD-214 Verified

U.S. NAVY · 21 YEARS · JUNE 1993 – SEPTEMBER 2014

Two Careers, One Uniform.

Enlisted at 18. Commissioned at 30. Retired a Limited Duty Officer.

Enlisted Career
IT1 / E6
June 29, 1993 – September 30, 2004 · 11 years, 3 months, 2 days
Entry Point
Montgomery, Alabama
Last Duty Station
Defense Information Systems Agency
Discharge Type
Honorable — to accept a commission in the same branch (USN)
Ratings Held
Information System Administrator (4 yrs 4 mo) · Network Security Vulnerability Technician (3 yrs 8 mo) · Computer Based Training Technician (3 yrs 3 mo)
Commissioned Career
LT / O3E
October 1, 2004 – September 30, 2014 · 10 years
Last Duty Station
NCTAMSLANT Detachment, Rota, Spain
Retirement Type
Honorable — sufficient service for retirement
Designators
Limited Duty Officer, Information Systems · Information Professional Officer · Information Systems Officer (4 yrs 4 mo) · Communication Security Officer (6 yrs 9 mo) · Line Officer, Department Head (1 yr 4 mo)
Total Active Service 21 yrs, 3 mo, 2 days
Foreign Service 9 years
Sea Service 8 yrs, 1 mo, 22 days

Decorations & Awards · DD-214 Verified

  • Defense Meritorious Service Medal
  • Navy Commendation Medal
  • Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (5)
  • Joint Meritorious Unit Commendation (2)
  • Navy Unit Commendation (3)
  • Meritorious Unit Commendation (2)
  • Navy “E” Ribbon (2)
  • Good Conduct Medal (3)
  • Navy Expeditionary Medal
  • National Defense Medal
  • Southwest Asia Service Medal
  • Iraqi Campaign Medal
  • Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
  • Humanitarian Service Medal
  • Sea Service Deployment Ribbon (3)
  • Navy Overseas Service Ribbon (8)
  • Rifle Marksmanship Ribbon/Medal
  • Pistol Marksmanship Ribbon/Medal
  • Flag Letter of Commendation
  • Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist
  • Officer Fleet Marine Force Warfare Designation
  • Information Dominance Warfare Designation

Operational Service

  • 01Operation Southern Watch / Enduring Freedom — May 1999–April 2002, COMFIFTHFLT
  • 02Operation Iraqi Freedom — August 2007–March 2009, Al Asad Air Base, Iraq
  • 03Operation Valiant Search — 2001, USS Salvor (ARS-52)
  • 04Operation Assured Delivery — 2005, USS Mount Whitney (LCC-20)
  • 05Operation Odyssey Dawn — March 2011, USS Mount Whitney (LCC-20)

Network · Agent Assessment

4,200+ Contacts. 4 Eras.

SENTINEL has analyzed 100,000+ emails across 22 years. All contacts anonymized.

Military Era
11
Years · 1993–2004 (Enlisted)
Primary NetworkNavy/DoD
Key CommsCOMSEC, EKMS, SCI
DeploymentsBahrain, Pacific, Italy
Highlight4× NAM · DMSM
Officer Era
10
Years · 2004–2014 (LT/O3E)
ShipUSS Mount Whitney LCC-20
Combat ZoneAl Asad Air Base, Iraq
Budget Managed$15.5M
AwardsDMSM · NavComm · OSCAR ×2
Federal Era
~5
Years · VA · DoD · USDA
GradeGS-12 → GS-13-5
Endpoints66,000+ (USDA NRCS)
Staff Led24 (VA) · 14 specialists (USDA)
AwardFed Employee of the Year 2015/16
AI Founder Era
90
Days · Dec 2024 – Present
Code Written6,036,123+ lines
Platforms25 production-grade
Patents216+ filed
Valuation$743M–$1.004B+

CHRONICLE Engine · 22 Years of Communication

100,000+ Emails.
A Life in Messages.

Visualization of communication cadence — 2002 through 2026. Intensity = email volume. Hover for year context.

None
Low
Medium
High
Peak
◉ Key career events marked

NETWORK Engine · Relationship Graph

4,200+ Contacts.
4 Eras of Network.

All contacts anonymized. Clustered by era. Carlton as center node. 6 continents reached.

SPEAKING · PARTNERSHIPS · MEDIA

Ready to See Through Everything?
Let's Talk.

Available for keynote speaking on AI strategy, federal technology modernization, and veteran entrepreneurship. Consulting engagements through 25 Alpha LLC.

info@carltonjames.com LinkedIn → 567-25-ALPHA