He commanded the destroyer Arleigh Burke and the cruiser Cape St. George, winning Battle E's and Golden Anchors in both tours.

[6] In December 2008, he became the 22nd chief of Naval Research, succeeding William E. Landay III, with additional duties as Director, Test and Evaluation and Technology Requirements.

[6] While in this position, Carr was in charge of the Navy's wide range of basic and applied research and development programs, a total of about $3 billion in spending.

[7] The initiative during his tenure ranged from next-generation advanced weapons such as free-electron lasers and railguns[8] to grants for STEM education programs.

In October 2013, he took the position of vice president for Surface Readiness & Future Capability at URS Corporation, a government contractor.