James A. Winnefeld Jr.

James Winnefeld
Birth name James Alexander Winnefeld Jr.
Born (1956-04-24) 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 retired 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. In 2015, he retired from the Navy after over 37 years of service.[2]

Biography

James Winnefeld's military lineage extended to his father and grandfather who both served in the Navy.[3] His great-grandfather was a Prussian cavalryman.[4]

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.[5] 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;[6] Deputy Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe; and Joint Forces Maritime Component Commander, Europe.[6]

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.[7] He is also a non-resident senior fellow at the Belfer Center at the Harvard Kennedy School.[8]

Winnefeld began speaking out on his son's opioid overdose death and advocating for awareness of the opioid epidemic.[9][10][11]

September 11 attacks

Winnefeld was the commanding officer of the USS Enterprise during the September 11 attacks.[12] The USS Enterprise was headed to Cape Town, South Africa, for a port call.[12] 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.[12] Acting without specific direction 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.[12] The carrier's aircraft were within range of Afghanistan the next morning.[12] For over three weeks starting on October 7, 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.

Military awards and decoration

Gold star
Gold star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Silver star
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)[13]		 Pistol Marksmanship Medal
with Expert Marksmanship Device
Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge

He is 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.

Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic (SAFE)

After losing a son to the opioid addiction, the Winnefeld family began dedicating themselves to studying the issue. They launched a website called SafeProject.us with the goal of saving other families from the same heartache.[14][15][16]

Notes

  1. ↑ http://bellsouthpwp.net/j/r/jryan23/web/grammysa/pafg23.htm
  2. ↑ "Former Joint Chiefs Official: ISIS Not Greatest Threat To US". Public Broadcasting Atlanta. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  3. ↑ Winnefeld, James (29 November 2017). "No Family Is Safe From This Epidemic". The Atlantic. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  4. ↑ Winnefeld, James (29 November 2017). "No Family Is Safe From This Epidemic". The Atlantic. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  5. ↑ "NROTC Alum Winnefeld Nominated by Obama to Joint Chiefs". Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. 2011-06-02. Retrieved 2011-07-10.
  6. 1 2 Flag Officer Announcement July 22, 2008
  7. ↑ http://www.news.gatech.edu/2015/08/03/former-joint-chiefs-staff-member-named-faculty
  8. ↑ "James A. Winnefeld, Jr". Belfer Center. 6 January 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  9. ↑ "Retired Adm. Sandy Winnefeld speaks out on son's opioid overdose death". CBS NEWS. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  10. ↑ Winnefeld, James (29 November 2017). "No Family Is Safe From This Epidemic". The Atlantic. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  11. ↑ Horton, Alex (1 December 2017). "A Navy admiral lost his son to opioid addiction. Now he's marshaling support to end the epidemic". Washington Post. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 "Bush: "The might of our Navy is needed again"". Sea Power Almanac. 2002. Retrieved 2013-07-27.
  13. ↑ http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=67&lan=eng
  14. ↑ "Retired Adm. Sandy Winnefeld speaks out on son's opioid overdose death". CBS Interactive Inc. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  15. ↑ "S.A.F.E." Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic (SAFE). Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  16. ↑ Horton, Alex (1 December 2017). "A Navy admiral lost his son to opioid addiction. Now he's marshaling support to end the epidemic". Washington Post. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
Military offices
Preceded by
Victor Renuart		 Commander of the United States Northern Command
2010–2011		 Succeeded by
Charles H. Jacoby Jr.
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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