During and after World War I, Kidd was stationed on , and then he had further staff and Naval Academy service. He was the executive officer of the battleship in 1925–1926, then commanded until becoming the Captain of the Port at Cristóbal, Panama Canal Zone from 1927 to 1930. Promoted to the rank of captain, he was the Chief of Staff to the Commander, Base Force, United States Fleet in 1930–1932. After three years at the Bureau of Navigation in Washington, D.C., he was the Commander of Destroyer Squadron One, Scouting Force, in 1935–1936.