Michael Christian Colley, USN (Ret.), (February 19, 1938 – January 19, 2013) was a

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 ...

officer who served as vice admiral and whose career included several high-ranking commands in the submarine force and elsewhere in national security positions.Thompson, Steven (April 1991
"Sea Cliff (DSV 4)"
''

All Hands ''All Hands'' was a monthly published magazine of the United States Navy for its sailors. It had been published since August 1922 under different names; the current title was established in 1945. Its last issue was published on December 2011, alt ...

''. Retrieved February 1, 2023.

Early life

Colley was born in Wheaton, Minnesota on February 19, 1938."Sub Squandron Two command changed"
'' The Day'', July 28, 1984.

Military career

Colley graduated with distinction from the

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

in June 1960. He had sea duty assignments on several nuclear-powered submarines and was Commanding Officer of the

attack submarine An attack submarine or hunter-killer submarine is a submarine specifically designed for the purpose of attacking and sinking other submarines, surface combatants and merchant vessels. In the Soviet and Russian navies they were and are called "m ...

. He was Commander of the

Navy Recruiting Command The United States Navy Recruiting Command (NRC or NAVCRUITCOM) is located in Millington, Tennessee. It aims to recruit both enlisted sailors and prospective commissioned officers for the United States Navy. NRC covers the entire United States ...

for three years, and Deputy Commander of the submarine directorate in

the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metonym ...

. He earned a master's degree in Computer Systems from the

Naval Postgraduate School The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is a public graduate school operated by the United States Navy and located in Monterey, California. It offers master’s and doctoral degrees in more than 70 fields of study to the U.S. Armed Forces, DOD ci ...

. Other operational assignments included command of the

submarine tender A submarine tender is a type of depot ship that supplies and supports submarines. Development Submarines are small compared to most oceangoing vessels, and generally do not have the ability to carry large amounts of food, fuel, torpedoes, and ...

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic ce ...

and the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It include ...

's largest submarine squadron 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 ...

. During the first

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

, he was

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain ...

of the Pacific Fleet submarine force of over 40 boats from his headquarters at

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the ...

. Earlier, he was Director, Division of Mathematics and Science (including the departments of math, physics, chemistry, oceanography and computer science) at the

Naval Academy A naval academy provides education for prospective naval officers. See also * Military academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally pro ...

Activism and views

After leaving the Navy, Colley was active in the national security policy and analysis field, intelligence evaluation and senior management level positions in the public sector. He joined the

Libertarian Party Active parties by country Defunct parties by country Organizations associated with Libertarian parties See also * Liberal parties by country * List of libertarian organizations * Lists of political parties * Outline of libertarianism ...

in 2003 and served as an elected member of the

Libertarian National Committee The Libertarian National Committee (LNC) controls and manages the affairs, properties, and funds of the United States Libertarian Party. It is composed of the party officers, five at-large representatives elected every two years at the national c ...

from 2004 to 2010. Colley always advocated that the purpose of the United States military was defense and "not to serve as the world policeman," or "build democracy or engage in nation-building." Colley was interested in civil liberties issues and opposed government regulation "of all facets of our lives." On immigration, he welcomed people coming to the United States to "enjoy the freedoms we have" and opposed building a fence on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Death

Admiral Colley died unexpectedly at his home in

Gulf Shores, Alabama Gulf Shores is a resort city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 9,741. Geography Gulf Shores is located on the Gulf of Mexico at 30°16'4.069" North, 87°42'5.285" West (30.267797, −87. ...

on January 19, 2013. The ashes of Colley and his wife Arlen Carol Colley (1938–2001) were interred at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

References

External links

Submarine Force Pacific Fleet

Libertarian Party of Alabama : Colley
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colley, Michael 1938 births 2013 deaths Alabama Libertarians Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Military personnel from Minnesota Naval Postgraduate School alumni Non-interventionism People from Gulf Shores, Alabama People from Traverse County, Minnesota United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy vice admirals United States submarine commanders