in June 2010, during
Fleet Week. Howard's initial sea tours were aboard and . While serving on board USS
Lexington, she received the Secretary of the Navy/Navy League Captain Winifred Collins award in May 1987. This award is given to one woman officer a year for outstanding leadership. She reported to as chief engineer in 1990 and served in the
Gulf War, during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. She assumed duties as First Lieutenant on board in July 1992. In January 1996, she became the Executive Officer of and deployed to the Adriatic in support of Operation Joint Endeavor, a peacekeeping effort in the former Republic of Yugoslavia. Sixty days after returning from the Mediterranean deployment,
Tortuga departed on a West African Training Cruise, where the ship's sailors, with embarked U.S. Marines and U.S. Coast Guard detachment, operated with the naval services of seven African nations. Howard assumed command of on March 12, 1999, becoming the first African-American woman to command a warship in the United States Navy. Howard commanded
Amphibious Squadron 7 from May 2004 to September 2005. Deploying with
Expeditionary Strike Group 5, operations included tsunami relief efforts in Indonesia and maritime security operations in the North Persian Gulf. Howard's shore assignments include: Course Coordinator/Instructor for the Steam Engineering Officer of the Watch (EOOW) course; Action Officer and Navy's liaison to the
Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Military Services (DACOWITS) in the Bureau of Personnel; Action Officer J-3, Global Operations, Readiness on the Joint Staff from 2001 to 2003; Executive Assistant to the Joint Staff Director of Operations from February 2003 to February 2004; and Deputy Director N3 on the OPNAV Staff from December 2005 to July 2006. Howard was the deputy director, Expeditionary Warfare Division, OPNAV staff from July 2006 to December 2006, and senior military assistant to the secretary of the Navy January 2007 – January 2009. She was chief of staff to the director for Strategic Plans and Policy, J-5,
Joint Staff from August 2010 until July 2012. Howard was promoted to rear admiral (lower half), effective September 1, 2007 and to rear admiral, effective August 1, 2010. She was promoted to vice admiral on August 24, 2012. On July 1, 2014, Howard was promoted to admiral. She became the 38th
Vice Chief of Naval Operations the same day.
Dates of ranks ==Career after retiring from the Navy==