Admiral James A. Winnefeld has led a career of distinction and civic contribution, punctuated by acts of remarkable bravery and insight. The calling to a life of service runs in his blood, as both his father and grandfather served in the Navy, and his great-grandfather served in the Prussian cavalry.
Admiral Winnefeld earned his Bachelor degree with high honors from Georgia Institute of Technology in Aerospace Engineering, and received his commission through the ROTC program there. He began his Navy service as a fighter pilot flying the F-14 Tomcat, and taught at the Navy Fighter Weapons School, known as TOPGUN. In that capacity, he worked with crew from Paramount Pictures on the production of the movie of the same name.
After fighter squadron command, he attended the Nuclear Power School, where he earned the Vice Admiral William W. Behrens Jr. award as the honor graduate of his class at Nuclear Power School. He then commanded the USS Cleveland and USS Enterprise. As Commanding Officer of the USS Enterprise at the time of the Sept 11 attack on the United States, then-Captain Winnefeld had the foresight and courage to turn his carrier around and got his aircraft within range of Afghanistan in under 24 hours.
Admiral Winnefeld led the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group while supporting operations in support of our troops in Iraq, and later commanded NATO Joint Command Lisbon, Striking and Support Forces NATO, and the United States Sixth Fleet. He graduated with highest distinction from the U.S. Naval War College, and served as the fourth commander of U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and the 21st commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
From 2011 to 2015, Admiral Winnefeld served as the ninth Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In that role, Admiral Winnefeld was the second highest-ranking officer in the United States Armed Forces. In 2015, he retired from the Navy after over 37 years of service, and now serves a Distinguished Professor at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech, as well as on a number of boards and honorary commissions.
Admiral Winnefeld’s awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Navy Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal, five Battle Efficiency awards, and the Admiral William J. Crowe Award as Joint Staff Action Officer of the Year.