Kurt Walter Tidd[1] (born March 26, 1956) is a retired United States Navy admiral.

Tidd held the title of "Old salt",[2] which means he received his qualification for Surface Warfare before any other active-duty navy officer.

Tidd grew up in various cities on the East and West coasts before graduating in 1974 from the Porter-Gaud School in Charleston, South Carolina.

Tidd was commissioned from the United States Naval Academy in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Area Studies.

Tidd holds a master's degree in political science from the University of Bordeaux, France, earned as an Olmsted Foundation Scholar.

He is a graduate of the Armed Forces Staff College, and was a Federal Executive Fellow at the Atlantic Council of the United States.