Thursday, April 29, 2010

Out with the Fowler - in with the Miller

Another chance.
Navy official in charge of legislative affairs has been nominated to be the new superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced Wednesday that Navy Rear Adm. Michael H. Miller has been nominated for appointment to the rank of vice admiral and assignment as superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis.
RADM Miller - we wish you the best success with the seed corn!
Rear Admiral Michael H. Miller, a native of Minot, N.D., was commissioned at the United States Naval Academy in 1974, and earned his “Wings of Gold” at Pensacola in January 1976. Subsequent flying tours were primarily out of Naval Air Station Cecil Field, Fla., flying the S-3A/B Viking on carrier deployments around the world, including combat operations against Libya, the Achille Lauro terrorist incident and squadron command in the Persian Gulf during Desert Shield/Desert Storm.

Rear Adm. Miller’s shore assignments include duty as Flag Lieutenant and Aide to the Deputy Commander in Chief, U. S. Atlantic Fleet (1979), Chief Staff Officer to Sea Strike Wing One (1986), and Executive Assistant to the Commander, Naval Air Forces Pacific (1994).

Rear Adm. Miller has served at sea as Air Operations Officer for Commander, Carrier Group 8, Executive Officer onboard USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67), and in command of the Third Fleet Flagship, USS Coronado (AGF-11). During this tour, he was responsible for a state-of-the-art technology infusion into the command ship for the eastern Pacific.

Following Coronado, Rear Adm. Miller was assigned as the Operations Officer for the 7th Fleet on board USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19), home ported in Yokosuka, Japan. He returned to John F. Kennedy in August of 1999 as Commanding Officer, and left almost immediately for an extended deployment to the Persian Gulf. He reported for duty as the Deputy Director of the White House Military Office in November of 2000; Rear Adm. Miller was commissioned as a Deputy Assistant to the President and the first-ever active duty Director of the White House Military Office in November 2002. He next assumed command of Carrier Strike Group 7/USS Ronald Reagan Strike Group in April, 2005, and subsequently led the Reagan Strike Group on its maiden deployment to the Persian Gulf and Western Pacific in 2006.

In April 2008, RADM Miller reported as the Chief of Legislative Affairs following a tour as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Global Force Management & Joint Operations (N3/N5), U.S. Fleet Forces Command (2007).

16 comments:

DeltaBravo said...

Good luck to him!  Just out of curiosity... what percentage of USNA Commandants have the gold wings versus the other types....  is this groundbreaking?  A breath of fresh air?  A "good Lord, there goes the neighborhood!" or "yee AND haw!"  ???

DeltaBravo said...

Oops... my slip... Sup... not Commandant. 
:-[   my bad.

MR T's Haircut said...

anything is the better of now...

Byron said...

Wonder what the urinalysis policy of the atheletic dept. is going to be?

Good luck, ADM, you're going to need it.

Anonymous said...

Fowler was epic fail.


As a submariner and a proud Annapolis grad, I was appalled.

Especially when one considers that the first 3 star Sup, submariner VADM Larson, was the savior of a great institution.

Best wishes USNA and VADM (sel) Miller.  Emphasize solid seamanship and engineering training; education in thought; and commitment to being servant leaders from day 1.

Go Navy!  Beat Army!

PS:  Quit division 1 and join the Ivy League, please! People go to the games for the tailgaters, pomp and circumstance.  Not the football.  I promise revenue won't suffer USNAAA.

Tom Goering said...

Officers get so excited over the slightest things. The real education doesn't occur until the Ensigns hit the fleet anyway, everything before that is just a [football] game.

ActusRhesus said...

I go for the spirit spots.  *shrug*

DM05 said...

Congrats and good sailing to the new guy. Maybe this North Dakotan will do a better. To the new Supe, seriously consider the effects of D1 football and horribly unfair D-policies. This clan is watching closely.

LT B said...

If I may offer a bit of advice from the cheap seats.  What I noticed when I was there was the over concern on female and racial politics.  That is Navy-wide, and worse at the academy.  Secondly, every Supe seems to add stuff on the plate adding yet more to the 10 lbs of crap in the 5 lb sock.  It seems to me, as the submariner requested that a return and focus on basics is most important.  I had upper level students that could not tell latitude from longitude, and had pumped and dumped so much could not guestimate distance on a chart and were appalled I expected them to have some basic navigational skills.  Basics, basics, basics.  Seamanship, navigation, remove powerpoint teaching from pro-dev, and a solid grasp of history, naval history and the navy's role in shaping the nation.  I wish the new Supe well.  There is a lot of teaching talent there.  I hope all work together to put out a great crop of officers.  Very Respectfully, LT B

Anon said...

I agree with the comment below:  Fowler = epic fail.

I hope RADM Miller does far better.

GBS said...

I had the opportunity to see RADM Miller in action on several occasions when he brought his REAGAN STRIKE GROUP staff through TTGP.  He's an S-3 guy, so maybe I'm biased.  He struck me as very smart, and more importantly, reasonable...a trait sometimes lacking with Flag officers.  Hopefully, he brings some sanity back to the USNA. 

Byron said...

Respectfully, Master Chief, how much better would those ensigns be if they had the right training in leadership and responsibility before the graduated Canoe U? More to the point, how much better off would the Goat Locker be if they didn't have to spend so much time cleaning up after the young gentlemen?

C-dore 14 said...

Anon, Agree that it's time for Fowler to go and hope that the new guy is the answer.  However, have to "quibble" since Larson was not the first 3-star Supe...there were several in the post-WW II period.  You are correct however that in more recent times the first 3-star Supe was a submariner.  However it was "Lord Jim" Calvert who commanded SKATE under the Pole and was Supe in the late '60s/early '70s.

Barry Talley said...

Best wishes to Mike from your old music director. 

Tom Goering said...

Byron, you're right, I was deflecting the real issue. That said, don't take away the quality football program - my brother-in-law is a West Point grad and the last few years have been outstanding.

LT B said...

Tough call.  I think we sang Fowler's praises after Rempt.  I have a special spot in bowels for that man.  The key, and this is VERY difficult, but to try to divest the academy from the politics, fight of the enemies at the gate and get back to producing the best officer corps we can.  If that is not possible then the academy will eventually make itself obsolete and a huge money sink while still being a failed institution.  I said it when I was there and I'll say it again, "What is good for the academy may not be good for the Navy."  The Navy should come before the academy.  They are a source and if they forget that then it is just a self licking ice cream cone.