| James A. Winnefeld, Jr. | |
|---|---|
Admiral James A. Winnefeld, Jr., USN 9th Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff |
|
| Born | April 24, 1956 Coronado, California, U.S. |
| Allegiance | USA |
| Service/branch | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1978–present |
| 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 Navy Distinguished Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit (2) Bronze Star Medal |
James Alexander "Sandy" Winnefeld, Jr. (born April 24, 1956)[1] is a United States Navy four-star admiral who currently serves as the ninth Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 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 is the second highest ranking officer in the United States Armed Forces, second only to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He assumed his current assignment on August 4, 2011.
Contents |
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.[2] After designation as a naval aviator, he served with two fighter squadrons and as an instructor at the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN). 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;[3] Deputy Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe; and Joint Forces Maritime Component Commander, Europe.[3]
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 was the commanding officer of the Enterprise during the time period of the September 11 attacks.[4] Enterprise was returning home to port after a six month deployment near the Persian Gulf.[4] The crew was watching television at sea on 9/11/01 and observed the hijacked United Airlines Flight 175 airliner strike the south tower of the World Trade Center.[4] 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 return to the Persian Gulf.[4] The carrier's aircraft were within range of Afghanistan by the next morning.[4] For over three weeks, aircraft from 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 Enterprise's crew readiness.[4]
| Defense Distinguished Service Medal | |
| Navy Distinguished Service Medal | |
| Defense Superior Service Medal | |
|
|
Legion of Merit (with one gold award star) |
| Bronze Star Medal | |
| Defense Meritorious Service Medal | |
| Meritorious Service Medal | |
| Air Medal with Strike/Flight numeral 1 | |
|
|
Navy Commendation Medal (with gold award star) |
| Joint Service Achievement Medal | |
| Navy Achievement Medal | |
| Joint Meritorious Unit Award | |
|
|
Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon( with bronze service star) |
| Navy "E" Ribbon w/ Wreathed Battle E device (5 awards) | |
|
|
National Defense Service Medal (with bronze one service star) |
|
|
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (with two bronze service stars) |
|
|
Southwest Asia Service Medal with bronze service star |
| Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal | |
| Global War on Terrorism Service Medal | |
|
|
Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon (with silver and bronze service star) |
| Navy Expert Pistol Shot Medal | |
| Meritorious Service Cross Military Division from Her Majesty's Government for Canada[5] |
He's a recipient of the William J. Crowe and William W. Behrens, Jr. awards.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Victor E. Renuart Jr. |
Commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command & Commander of the United States Northern Command May 19, 2010 – August 3, 2011 |
Succeeded by Charles H. Jacoby, Jr. |
| Preceded by James Cartwright |
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff August 4, 2011 – present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
|
|||||||
|
|
|||||||