James A. Winnefeld, Jr.
| James Winnefeld | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth name | James Alexander Winnefeld, Jr. |
| Born |
April 24, 1956 Coronado, California, U.S. |
| Allegiance |
 United States |
| Service/branch |
 United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1978–2015 |
| Rank |
 Admiral |
| Commands held |
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. Northern Command North American Aerospace Defense Command U.S. Sixth Fleet Carrier Strike Group Two USS Enterprise (CVN-65) USS Cleveland (LPD-7) VFA-211 |
| Battles/wars |
Operation Desert Shield Gulf War War in Afghanistan (2001–present) Iraq War |
| Awards |
Defense Distinguished Service Medal (3) Navy Distinguished Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit (2) Bronze Star Medal Meritorious Service Cross (Canada) |
James Alexander "Sandy" Winnefeld, Jr. (born April 24, 1956)[1] is a former United States Navy admiral who served as the ninth Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from August 4, 2011 to July 31, 2015. He previously served as the fourth Commander, U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and the 21st Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) from May 19, 2010 to August 3, 2011. Prior to that, Winnefeld served as Director for Strategic Plans and Policy, The Joint Staff which he concurrently served as the Senior Member, U.S. Delegation to the U.N. Military Staff Committee. His other operational commands include serving as the Commander, U.S. Sixth Fleet and Commander, Allied Joint Command Lisbon. As the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Winnefeld was the second highest-ranking officer in the United States Armed Forces, second only to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He retired from the Navy after over 37 years of service.[2]
Biography
Winnefeld graduated from Georgia Tech in 1978 with high honors in Aerospace Engineering and received his commission via the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps program.[3] While at Georgia Tech, Winnefield was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. After designation as a naval aviator, he served with two fighter squadrons and as an instructor at the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN). While an instructor at TOPGUN, he worked with crew from Paramount Pictures on the production of the movie Top Gun. Winnefeld went on to graduate with the highest distinction from the U.S. Naval War College off-campus program. He is a recipient of the Admiral William J. Crowe Award as Joint Staff Action Officer of the Year and the Vice Admiral William W. Behrens, Jr. award as the honor graduate of his Navy nuclear power school class.
His command tours include Fighter Squadron 211 (VF-211), USS Cleveland (LPD-7) and as the 17th commanding officer of the USS Enterprise (CVN-65). He led Enterprise through her 18th deployment, which included combat operations in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom immediately after the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001. As commander, Carrier Strike Group 2/Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, he led Task Forces 50, 152 and 58 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and maritime interception operations in the Persian Gulf. He most recently served concurrently as Commander, U.S. Sixth Fleet; Commander, Allied Joint Command Lisbon; Commander, Striking and Support Forces NATO;[4] Deputy Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe; and Joint Forces Maritime Component Commander, Europe.[4]
His shore tours include service as an action officer in the Joint Staff Operations Directorate, as senior aide to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and as executive assistant to the Vice Chief of Naval Operations. As a flag officer he served ashore as Director, Warfare Programs and Transformational Concepts, United States Fleet Forces Command and as Director, Joint Innovation and Experimentation at United States Joint Forces Command.
Winnefeld is now a Distinguished Professor at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech.[5]
September 11 attacks
Winnefeld was the commanding officer of the USS Enterprise during the September 11 attacks.[6] The USS Enterprise was headed to Cape Town, South Africa, for one last port call before returning home after a six-month deployment near the Persian Gulf.[6] The crew was watching television at sea on September 11 and watched the hijacked United Airlines Flight 175 airliner strike the south tower of the World Trade Center.[6] Acting without authorization from the National Command Authority, then-Captain Winnefeld gave the order to put the ship's rudder over (180° degree turn) to take station in the Arabian Sea.[6] The carrier's aircraft were within range of Afghanistan the next morning.[6] For over three weeks, aircraft from USS Enterprise flew nearly 700 missions and dropped large amounts of ordnance over Afghanistan. The Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Vern Clark praised Winnefeld and credited him for taking initiative as well as for USS Enterprise's crew readiness.[6]
Military awards and decoration
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| Naval Aviator insignia | ||
| Defense Distinguished Service Medal with two clusters | ||
| Navy Distinguished Service Medal | Defense Superior Service Medal | Legion of Merit with one star |
| Bronze Star | Defense Meritorious Service Medal | Meritorious Service Medal |
| Air Medal with Strike/Flight numeral "1" |
Navy Commendation Medal | Joint Service Achievement Medal |
| Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal | Joint Meritorious Unit Award with cluster |
Navy Unit Commendation with one star |
| Navy E Ribbon with wreathed Battle "E" Device |
National Defense Service Medal with one star |
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with two stars |
| Southwest Asia Service Medal with one star |
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal | Global War on Terrorism Service Medal |
| Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with six stars |
Meritorious Service Cross Military Division (Canada)[7] |
Pistol Marksmanship Medal with Expert Marksmanship Device |
| Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge | ||
He's also a recipient of the William J. Crowe, William W. Behrens, Jr. awards and the 2012 recipient of the Naval War College Distinguished Graduate Leadership Award.
Notes
- ↑ http://bellsouthpwp.net/j/r/jryan23/web/grammysa/pafg23.htm
- ↑ "Former Joint Chiefs Official: ISIS Not Greatest Threat To US". Public Broadcasting Atlanta. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
- ↑ "NROTC Alum Winnefeld Nominated by Obama to Joint Chiefs". Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. 2011-06-02. Retrieved 2011-07-10.
- 1 2 Flag Officer Announcement July 22, 2008
- ↑ http://www.news.gatech.edu/2015/08/03/former-joint-chiefs-staff-member-named-faculty
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Bush: "The might of our Navy is needed again"". Sea Power Almanac. 2002. Retrieved 2013-07-27.
- ↑ http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=67&lan=eng
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to James A. Winnefeld, Jr.. |
- Official Joint Chiefs of Staff biography
- Official United States Navy biography at the United States Navy
- Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr. collected news and commentary at The Washington Post
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- James A. Winnefeld, Jr. at the Internet Movie Database
- Works by or about James A. Winnefeld, Jr. in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Victor Renuart |
Commander of the United States Northern Command 2010–2011 |
Succeeded by Charles Jacoby |
| Commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command 2010–2011 | ||
| Preceded by James Cartwright |
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 2011–2015 |
Succeeded by Paul J. Selva |
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