Scott Andrew Stearney (October 21, 1960 – December 1, 2018) was an American naval aviator and vice admiral of the United States Navy who served as commander of the

Fifth Fleet The Fifth Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It has been responsible for naval forces in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and parts of the Indian Ocean since 1995 after a 48-year hiatus. It shares a commander and headq ...

based in Bahrain.

Early life and education

Stearney was a native of Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Economics prior to commissioning in the United States Navy in October 1982. He subsequently entered flight training and was designated a

Naval Aviator Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-based a ...

in April 1984. He graduated from Navy Fighter Weapons School and held a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from the National Defense University.

Naval career

Stearney served in numerous strike fighter squadrons flying the FA-18 Hornet. His fleet assignments included the Golden Warriors of Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-87, the Knighthawks of Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-136 and strike warfare officer for commander,

Carrier Group 4 Carrier may refer to: Entertainment * ''Carrier'' (album), a 2013 album by The Dodos * ''Carrier'' (board game), a South Pacific World War II board game * ''Carrier'' (TV series), a ten-part documentary miniseries that aired on PBS in April 20 ...

(CCG-4). He commanded the Wildcats of

VFA-131 Strike Fighter Squadron 131 (VFA-131), also known as the "Wildcats", is a United States Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter squadron stationed at Naval Air Station Oceana. Their radio call sign is "Wildcat" and their aircraft tail code is ''AC''. H ...

and Carrier Air Wing Seven (CVW-7) embarked on (CVN-69). He served in Kabul, Afghanistan, as chief of staff of Joint Task Force 435 (JTF 435) and later Combined Joint Interagency Task Force 435 (CJIATF 435). Ashore, Stearney served as instructor and readiness officer at Navy Fighter Weapons School, aide-de-camp to the

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 ...

, deputy director J6 United States Joint Forces Command, executive assistant to deputy commander, United States Joint Forces Command and chief of staff, Strike Force Training Atlantic. Stearney's flag assignments included: commander, United States Transportation Command's Joint Enabling Capabilities Command; commander, Strike Force Training Atlantic; commander,

Carrier Strike Group 4 Carrier may refer to: Entertainment * Carrier (album), ''Carrier'' (album), a 2013 album by The Dodos * Carrier (board game), ''Carrier'' (board game), a South Pacific World War II board game * Carrier (TV series), ''Carrier'' (TV series), a ten- ...

(CCSG-4); commander,

Navy Warfare Development Command The Navy Warfare Development Command (NWDC) is a command of the United States Navy for the generation and development of innovations in concepts and doctrine for enhanced operational level maritime capability and integration in joint and coalitio ...

; and director of operations, United States Central Command. Task Force 51-5 Change of Command Ceremony 180703-M-AR450-1120

Stearney served as commander, United States Naval Forces Central Command, United States Fifth Fleet, and

Combined Maritime Forces United States Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) is the United States Navy element of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM). Its area of responsibility includes the Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, Persian Gulf, and Arabian Sea. It consists of the ...

from May 2018 until his death on December 1, 2018. Stearney's military decorations included the

Defense Superior Service Medal The Defense Superior Service Medal (DSSM) is a military decoration of the United States Department of Defense, which is presented to United States Armed Forces service members who perform superior meritorious service in a position of significant ...

with Oak Leaf Cluster, the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

with three Gold Stars, the Air Medal with strike/flight numeral 3, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with two Gold Stars, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, as well as other commendations and multiple service medals. He accumulated more than 4,500 mishap-free flight hours and over 1,000

carrier arrested landings Modern United States Navy aircraft carrier air operations include the operation of fixed-wing and rotary aircraft on and around an aircraft carrier for performance of combat or noncombat missions. The flight operations are highly evolved, b ...

Death

Stearney was found dead in his home in Bahrain on December 1, 2018, in an apparent suicide. Rear Admiral

Paul J. Schlise Paul J. Schlise (born 1966) is a rear admiral in the United States Navy. Personal life Schlise is originally from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. He received a civilian education at Marquette University, earning a bachelor's degree from the College of B ...

, the deputy commander, assumed command of the Fifth Fleet in his stead. His death was investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) and the Ministry of the Interior of Bahrain. NCIS concluded his death was the result of suicide. Stearney was interred at Arlington National Cemetery on December 20, 2018.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stearney, Scott 1960 births 2018 suicides Military personnel from Chicago University of Notre Dame alumni Aviators from Illinois United States Naval Aviators National Defense University alumni United States Navy vice admirals Burials at Arlington National Cemetery American military personnel who committed suicide