Jonathan William Greenert (born May 15, 1953) is a former

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet ...

who served as the 30th

Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the professional head of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the secretary of the Navy. In a separate capacity as a memb ...

from September 23, 2011, to September 18, 2015. He previously served as the 36th

Vice Chief of Naval Operations The vice chief of naval operations (VCNO) is the second highest-ranking commissioned United States Navy officer in the Department of the Navy and functions as the principal deputy of the chief of naval operations and by statute, the vice chief ...

from August 13, 2009, to August 22, 2011. Prior to that, he served as

Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command (COMUSFF/COMFLTFORCOM) is the title of the United States Navy officer who serves as the commanding officer of the United States Fleet Forces Command. The U.S. Fleet Forces Command was originally established ...

from September 29, 2007, to July 29, 2009, deputy chief of Naval Operations for Integration of Capabilities and Resources from September 2006 to September 2007, and commander of U.S. Seventh Fleet from August 2004 to September 2006. He retired from the navy after over 40 years of service. In March 2016, the

National Bureau of Asian Research The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) is an American non-profit, research institution based in Seattle, Washington, with a branch office in Washington, D.C. NBR brings together specialists, policymakers, and business leaders to examine ...

announced that Greenert would become the third holder of the John M. Shalikashvili Chair in National Security Studies (Shali Chair) at NBR. In April 2016, Greenert was appointed to the board of directors for

BAE Systems BAE Systems plc (BAE) is a British multinational arms, security, and aerospace company based in London, England. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe, and ranked the seventh-largest in the world based on applicable 2021 revenue ...

for a three-year term.

Early life and education

Born in the

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

suburb of

Butler, Pennsylvania Butler is a city and the county seat of Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located north of Pittsburgh and is part of the Greater Pittsburgh region. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 13,502. History Butler was n ...

, on May 15, 1953, Greenert attended Butler Catholic School and

Butler Senior High School Butler Area Senior High School is a coeducational public senior high school in Butler, Pennsylvania, United States, serving grades 10–12. It is the senior high school for the Butler Area School District. The school was founded in 1908, moved to ...

. While in high school, he participated in Pennsylvania Keystone Boys State, an

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is made up of state, U.S. territory, and overseas departments, and these are in turn made up of ...

leadership program. He graduated from the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science degree in

ocean engineering Marine engineering is the engineering of boats, ships, submarines, and any other marine vessel. Here it is also taken to include the engineering of other ocean systems and structures – referred to in certain academic and professional circl ...

and completed studies in nuclear power for service as a submarine officer.

Naval career

Greenert's career as a submariner included assignments on board as electrical material officer, as electrical/operations officer, and submarine ''

NR-1 Deep Submergence Vessel ''NR-1'' was a unique United States Navy (USN) nuclear-powered ocean engineering and research submarine, built by the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics at Groton, Connecticut. ''NR-1'' was launched on 25 Janu ...

'' as engineer officer. He served as

executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer, o ...

of 's Gold Crew before taking command of in March 1991. In 1992, he was awarded the

Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale Award for Inspirational Leadership The Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale Award for Inspirational Leadership is a United States Navy award established in 1980 by United States Secretary of the Navy Edward Hidalgo to honor the inspirational leadership of James Stockdale, a Medal of H ...

by the commander of

United States Pacific Fleet The United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is a theater-level component command of the United States Navy, located in the Pacific Ocean. It provides naval forces to the Indo-Pacific Command. Fleet headquarters is at Joint Base Pearl Harbor� ...

. Following his command at sea, Greenert served as commander of

Submarine Squadron 11 Submarine Squadron 11 (also known as SUBRON 11) is a squadron of submarines based at Point Loma Submarine Base, San Diego, California, United States. Submarine Squadron 11 was commissioned July 1, 1986, aboard her flagship, , at Naval Submarine ...

, and Commander, Submarine Forces Pacific (COMSUBPAC) Representative West Coast from July 1996 to June 1997.

Flag assignments

In July 1997, Greenert reported as chief of staff for Commander,

United States Seventh Fleet The Seventh Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It is headquartered at U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is part of the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of ...

, in

Yokosuka is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 409,478, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The city ...

, Japan. During his tour in Japan, he was selected for flag rank and subsequently served as commander of

United States Pacific Command United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) is a unified combatant command of the United States Armed Forces responsible for the Indo-Pacific region. Formerly known as United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) since its inception in 1947, ...

, representative to

Micronesia Micronesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of about 2,000 small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: the Philippines to the west, Polynesia to the east, ...

/Commander, U.S. Naval Forces,

Marianas The Mariana Islands (; also the Marianas; in Chamorro: ''Manislan Mariånas'') are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, betw ...

, from October 1998 through December 1999. On August 6, 2004, Greenert assumed command of Seventh Fleet. Greenert's shore assignments include tours as COMSUBPAC staff fire control officer, program analyst for Office of the

and the

Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group The Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group (SSG) was established by Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Thomas B. Hayward in 1981. The Group was co-located at the United States Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, and received its ...

and head of Navy Program Planning and Development Branch for the Chief of Naval Operations Staff in Washington, D.C. He served as director of the Operations Division in the Navy Comptroller Office from January 2000 through August 2002, and as deputy and chief of staff of U.S. Pacific Fleet from August 2002 until July 2004. On September 23, 2011, Greenert became the 30th Chief of Naval Operations, succeeding Admiral Gary Roughead.

Post-retirement

On March 3, 2016, the

announced that Greenert would become the third holder of the John M. Shalikashvili Chair in National Security Studies (Shali Chair) at NBR. At NBR, Greenert brings to bear his years of experience in the U.S. Navy to help inform policy debates on critical issues pertaining to the Asia-Pacific through briefings of senior leaders, and research and writing. The board chairman of Arlington-based BAE Systems Inc.,

Michael Chertoff Michael Chertoff (born November 28, 1953) is an American attorney who was the second United States Secretary of Homeland Security to serve under President George W. Bush. Chertoff also served for one additional day under President Barack Obama. ...

, a former secretary of

Homeland Security Homeland security is an American national security term for "the national effort to ensure a homeland that is safe, secure, and resilient against terrorism and other hazards where American interests, aspirations, and ways of life can thrive" t ...

, announced on April 19, 2016, that retired Greenert was appointed to the board of directors for BAE Systems for a three-year term. "Admiral Greenert brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise from a distinguished, 40-year career as a senior military officer and government leader," Chertoff said in a statement. "His experience in management, operations, and strategic planning will be highly valuable, and I'm pleased to welcome him to the board."

Awards and decorations

Family

Greenert is married to Darleen Greenert, who was the Sponsor for the pre-commissioning unit (PCU) USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN-795), and christened the

ship A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research, and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished ...

during a ceremony at General Dynamics Electric Boat shipyard facility in

Groton, Connecticut Groton is a town in New London County, Connecticut located on the Thames River. It is the home of General Dynamics Electric Boat, which is the major contractor for submarine work for the United States Navy. The Naval Submarine Base New London is ...

, on 31 July 2021.,

The Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newsp ...

/NavyTimes, 2021-08-02

References

External links

* , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Greenert, Jonathan 1953 births Chiefs of Naval Operations Grand Cordons of the Order of the Rising Sun Living people People from Butler, Pennsylvania Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale Award for Inspirational Leadership United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy admirals Vice Chiefs of Naval Operations Military personnel from Pennsylvania