Admiral Gary Roughead, USN is the 29th and current Chief of Naval Operations. He previously served as Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command from May 17, 2007 to September 29, 2007. Prior to that he served as the 31st Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet from July 8, 2005 to May 8, 2007. He assumed his current assignment on September 29, 2007.

Biography

Roughead graduated high school from Valley Forge Military Academy (Wayne, PA) in 1969. He is a 1973 graduate of the United States Naval Academy and a Surface Warfare Officer. His initial assignment was in the Weapons Department aboard the USS Josephus Daniels (CG-27). This was followed by duty as Executive Officer on the patrol gunboats, USS Douglas (PG-100) and USS Tacoma (PG-92), the former home-ported in Naples, Italy. He was the commissioning Chief Engineer aboard the USS O'Bannon (DD-987) and Executive Officer on the USS Spruance (DD-963).

Tours ashore include assignments as Flag Lieutenant to Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet; the Surface Warfare Analyst at the Navy's Office of Program Appraisal; Administrative Aide to the Secretary of the Navy; Executive Assistant to the Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Command; Commandant, United States Naval Academy; the Department of the Navy's Chief of Legislative Affairs; and most recently, Deputy Commander, U.S. Pacific Command.

Roughead was the commissioning Commanding Officer of the Aegis destroyer USS Barry (DDG-52), and, upon assuming command of the cruiser USS Port Royal (CG-73), he became the first naval officer to command both classes of Aegis ships. While he was in command, Port Royal was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation and received the Golden Anchor Award for excellence in retention and crew support programs. He was Commander, Cruiser Destroyer Group Two and the USS George Washington (CVN-73) Carrier Battle Group, deploying to the Persian Gulf and Mediterranean Sea. His latest assignment afloat was as Commander, U.S. Second Fleet and Commander, NATO Striking Fleet Atlantic and Commander, Naval Forces North Fleet East in Norfolk, Virginia; he was nominated to head the Fleet Forces Command on March 19, 2007.

On September 2, 2005, Roughead was a keynote speaker at the End of WWII Commemoration aboard the Battleship USS Missouri Memorial on Ford Island in Hawaii.

On September 29, 2007, he became the Chief of Naval Operations.
thumb|Roughead and Campa in Afghanistan (August 2008)thumb|Roughead during his confirmation hearing for appointment to Chief of Naval Operations (September 2007)

Awards and decorations

See also