100 Notable alumni of
Naval Postgraduate School
Updated:
Naval Postgraduate School is 564th in the world, 210th in North America, and 193rd in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 100 notable alumni from Naval Postgraduate School sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
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Mark Kelly
- Enrolled in Naval Postgraduate School
- In 1994 graduated with Master of Science in aeronautics
- Occupations
- naval aviatorwriternaval officertest pilotastronaut
- Biography
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Mark Edward Kelly is an American politician and a retired astronaut and naval officer. He is the senior United States senator from Arizona, a seat he has held since 2020. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
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William H. McRaven
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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William Harry McRaven is a retired United States Navy four-star admiral who served as the ninth commander of the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) from August 8, 2011 to August 28, 2014. From 2015 to 2018, he was the chancellor of The University of Texas System.
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Eugene Cernan
- Occupations
- autobiographermilitary flight engineerfighter pilotnaval officernaval aviator
- Biography
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Eugene Andrew Cernan was an American astronaut, naval aviator, electrical engineer, aeronautical engineer, and fighter pilot.
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Qamar Javed Bajwa
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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Qamar Javed Bajwa is a retired Pakistani four-star general who served as the tenth chief of the Army Staff of Pakistan from 29 November 2016 to 29 November 2022. In 2018, he was ranked 68th in the Forbes list of the World's Most Powerful People.
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Richard Marcinko
- Occupations
- military officerwritersailorveteranradio personality
- Biography
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Richard Marcinko was a U.S. Navy SEAL commander and Vietnam War veteran. He was the first commanding officer of SEAL Team Six. After retiring from the United States Navy, he became an author, radio talk show host, military consultant, and motivational speaker.
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Edgar Mitchell
- Enrolled in Naval Postgraduate School
- Graduated with Bachelor of Science in aeronautics
- Occupations
- military flight engineermilitary officerscreenwriteraircraft pilotbusinessperson
- Biography
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Edgar Dean Mitchell was a United States Navy officer and aviator, test pilot, aeronautical engineer, ufologist, and NASA astronaut. As the Lunar Module Pilot of Apollo 14 in 1971 he spent nine hours working on the lunar surface in the Fra Mauro Highlands region, and was the sixth person to walk on the Moon. He was the second Freemason to set foot on the Moon, after Buzz Aldrin.
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Marcos Pontes
- Occupations
- politicianwriterfighter pilotengineerastronaut
- Biography
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Marcos Cesar Pontes is a Brazilian Air Force pilot, engineer, AEB astronaut, politician and author. He became the first South American and the first Lusophone to go into space when he docked onto the International Space Station aboard Soyuz TMA-8 on 30 March 2006. He is the only Brazilian to have completed the NASA astronaut training program, although he switched to training in Russia after NASA's Space Shuttle program encountered problems. After Jair Bolsonaro's election as President of Brazil in 2018, Pontes was officially nominated to be Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, a post which he accepted days later and assumed when Bolsonaro's government began. He left the post on 31 March 2022 and in the same year was elected federal senator for his state, São Paulo.
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Hyman G. Rickover
- Occupations
- submarinermilitary officer
- Biography
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Hyman George Rickover was an admiral in the United States Navy. He directed the original development of naval nuclear propulsion and controlled its operations for three decades as director of the U.S. Naval Reactors office. In addition, he oversaw the development of the Shippingport Atomic Power Station, the world's first commercial pressurized water reactor used for generating electricity. Rickover is also one of seven people who have been awarded two Congressional Gold Medals.
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Arleigh Burke
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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Arleigh Albert Burke was an admiral of the United States Navy who distinguished himself during World War II and the Korean War, and who served as Chief of Naval Operations during the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations.
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David A. Clarke, Jr
- Occupations
- podcaster
- Biography
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David Alexander Clarke Jr. is an American former law enforcement official who served as Sheriff of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, from 2002 to 2017.
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Jasmin Moghbeli
- Occupations
- test pilothelicopter pilotastronautmilitary officer
- Biography
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Jasmin Moghbeli is an American U.S. Marine Corps test pilot and NASA astronaut. She is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Naval Postgraduate School, and Naval Test Pilot School. Moghbeli was a mission commander for SpaceX Crew-7 and a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station for Expedition 69/70.
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Michael Mullen
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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Michael Glenn "Mike" Mullen is a retired United States Navy admiral who served as the 17th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 2007 to September 2011.
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William C. McCool
- Occupations
- military flight engineerastronautmilitary officeraircraft pilot
- Biography
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William Cameron "Willie" McCool was an American naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aeronautical engineer, and NASA astronaut, who was the pilot of Space Shuttle Columbia mission STS-107. He and the rest of the crew of STS-107 were killed when Columbia disintegrated during reentry into the atmosphere. McCool was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
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Bujar Nishani
- Occupations
- juristpolitician
- Biography
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Bujar Faik Nishani was an Albanian politician who served as President of Albania from 2012 to 2017.
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Eric T. Olson
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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Eric Thor Olson is a retired United States Navy admiral who last served as the eighth Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) from July 2, 2007 to August 8, 2011. He previously served as Deputy Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command from 2003 to July 2007. Olson was the first Navy SEAL ever to be appointed to three-star and four-star flag rank, as well as the first naval officer to be USSOCOM's combatant commander. He took command from Army General Bryan D. Brown in 2007. Brown and Olson had served together at the SOCOM headquarters in Tampa for four years. He retired from active duty on August 22, 2011 after over 38 years of service. He relinquished command of SOCOM to Admiral William H. McRaven the same day.
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Ronald Evans
- Occupations
- military officermilitary flight engineeraircraft pilotengineerastronaut
- Biography
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Ronald Ellwin Evans Jr. was an American electrical engineer, aeronautical engineer, officer and aviator in the United States Navy, and NASA astronaut. As Command Module Pilot on Apollo 17 he was one of the 24 astronauts to fly to the Moon, and one of 12 astronauts to fly to the Moon without landing.
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Richard F. Gordon
- Occupations
- chemistmilitary officertest pilotscreenwriteraircraft pilot
- Biography
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Richard Francis Gordon Jr. was an American naval officer and aviator, test pilot, and NASA astronaut, and a football executive. He was one of 24 people to have flown to the Moon, as command module pilot of the Apollo 12 mission, which orbited the Moon 45 times. Gordon had already flown in space as the pilot of the 1966 Gemini 11 mission.
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Michael J. Smith
- Occupations
- naval officertest pilotastronaut
- Biography
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Michael John Smith, (Capt USN) was an American engineer and astronaut. He served as the pilot of the Space Shuttle Challenger when it was destroyed during the STS-51-L mission, breaking up 73 seconds into the flight, and at an altitude of 48,000 feet (14.6 km), killing all seven crew members. Smith's voice was the last one heard on the Challenger voice recorder.
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Carlos Del Toro
- Occupations
- politiciannaval officer
- Biography
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Carlos Del Toro is a Cuban-American entrepreneur and retired United States Navy officer who served as the 78th United States secretary of the Navy from 2021 to 2025. He is the second Hispanic American to serve as the Secretary of the Navy, after Edward Hidalgo.
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Joseph Maguire
- Enrolled in Naval Postgraduate School
- 1983-1985 graduated with Master of Arts
- Occupations
- executivemilitary officer
- Biography
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Joseph Maguire is an American officer who served as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center and Acting Director of National Intelligence under President Donald Trump. He retired from the United States Navy as a vice admiral in 2010 after 36 years of military service. Prior to retiring from active duty, he was the deputy director for strategic operational planning at National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC).
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Michael López-Alegría
- Occupations
- astronaut
- Biography
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Michael López-Alegría is an astronaut, test pilot and commercial astronaut with dual nationality, American and Spanish; a veteran of three Space Shuttle missions and one International Space Station mission. He is known for having performed ten spacewalks so far in his career, presently holding the second longest all-time EVA duration record (first among NASA astronauts) and having the fifth-longest spaceflight of any American at the length of 215 days; this time was spent on board the ISS from September 18, 2006, to April 21, 2007. López-Alegría commanded Axiom-1, the first all-private team of commercial astronaut mission to the International Space Station, which launched on April 8, 2022, and spent just over 17 days in Earth's orbit.
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Keith B. Alexander
- Occupations
- spysoldierintelligence officer
- Biography
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Keith Brian Alexander is a retired four-star general of the United States Army, who served as director of the National Security Agency, chief of the Central Security Service, and commander of the United States Cyber Command (CYBERCOM). He previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff, G-2 (Intelligence), United States Army from 2003 to 2005. He assumed the positions of Director of the National Security Agency and Chief of the Central Security Service on 1 August 2005, and the additional duties as Commander United States Cyber Command on 21 May 2010.
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Chamlong Srimuang
- Enrolled in Naval Postgraduate School
- 1972-1974 graduated with master's degree in management
- Occupations
- military personnelactivistpolitician
- Biography
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Chamlong Srimuang is a Thai activist and former politician. A former general, he was a leader of the "Young Turks" military clique, founded and led the Palang Dharma Party, served for six years as governor of Bangkok, led the anti-military uprising of May 1992, and is a prominent member of the People's Alliance for Democracy, a group strongly opposed to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Chamlong had supported the military junta that overthrew Thaksin in a coup. A devout Buddhist and follower of the Santi Asoke sect, he is now celibate, a vegetarian, and claims to have no worldly possessions. Chamlong Srimuang received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in the category of Government Service in 1992.
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Samuel Paparo
- Years
- 1964-.. (age 62)
- Enrolled in Naval Postgraduate School
- Graduated with Master of Science in systems analysis
- Occupations
- military personnel
- Biography
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Samuel John Paparo Jr. is a United States Navy four-star admiral serving as the 27th Commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command, the nation’s oldest and largest geographic combatant command. A TOPGUN-trained naval aviator with combat experience spanning three decades, Paparo has commanded at every level from fighter squadron to combatant command, with the rare distinction of having led forces both from the cockpit and on the ground in combat. He oversees approximately 380,000 military and civilian personnel responsible for all U.S. military activities across 36 nations, 14 time zones, and a region encompassing more than half the world’s population.
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Steven Sund
- Enrolled in Naval Postgraduate School
- Graduated with Master of Arts
- Occupations
- memoiristpolice officeruniversity teacher
- Biography
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Steven A. Sund is a retired American law enforcement official, author and public speaker. Sund was a member of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department for 25 years, where he was commander of the force's Special Operations Division. He joined the U.S. Capitol Police in 2017, becoming its chief in 2019. He led the force during the January 6 Capitol attack, after which he faced widespread criticism for the perceived security failures of that day.
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Rick Saccone
- Occupations
- politicianmilitary officer
- Biography
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Richard Saccone is an American educator and far-right politician who represented Pennsylvania's 39th district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 2011 to 2018. A Republican, he was his party's nominee for the March 2018 special election to fill in the vacant U.S. House seat for the 18th congressional district. Saccone lost to Democratic candidate Conor Lamb by a margin of 0.3%.
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Joseph W. Pfeifer
- Occupations
- rescuerresearch fellowfirefighteruniversity teacher
- Biography
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Joseph W. Pfeifer is a retired American firefighter who served with the New York City Fire Department (FDNY). Pfeifer served as First Deputy Commissioner of the FDNY from February 2023 until September 2024, and as Acting Fire Commissioner of the FDNY in August 2024. Prior to his civilian work in the FDNY, Pfeifer was an Assistant Chief. He retired in 2018.
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John Herrington
- Occupations
- hydronautastronautUnited States Naval Aviator
- Biography
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John Bennett Herrington is a retired United States Naval Aviator, engineer and former NASA astronaut. In 2002, Herrington became the first enrolled citizen of a Native American tribe to fly in space.
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Frank M. Bradley
- Born in
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United States - Enrolled in Naval Postgraduate School
- Graduated with Master of Science in physics
- Occupations
- admiral
- Biography
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Frank Mitchell Bradley is a United States Navy admiral who has commanded the United States Special Operations Command since October 3, 2025.
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Daniel R. Hokanson
- Enrolled in Naval Postgraduate School
- Graduated with Master of Arts in international security and civil–military relations
- Occupations
- aircraft pilotmilitary personnel
- Biography
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Daniel Robert Hokanson is a retired United States Army general who last served as the 29th chief of the National Guard Bureau. He previously served as the 21st director of the Army National Guard. His previous military assignments include serving as vice chief of the National Guard Bureau, deputy commander of United States Northern Command, adjutant general of the Oregon National Guard, and commander of the 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team. He is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Just Cause.
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John H. Miller
- Occupations
- military personnel
- Biography
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John Harrison Miller was a lieutenant general in the United States Marine Corps. A highly decorated veteran of World War II, Korea and Vietnam, Miller completed his career as commanding general, Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic.
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Timothy D. Haugh
- Years
- 1969-.. (age 57)
- Enrolled in Naval Postgraduate School
- Graduated with Master of Science
- Occupations
- military leader
- Biography
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Timothy Dean Haugh is a retired United States Air Force general who served as the commander of the United States Cyber Command, director of the National Security Agency, and chief of the Central Security Service from 2024 to 2025. He previously served as the deputy commander of the United States Cyber Command.
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Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani
- Occupations
- military personnelpolitician
- Biography
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Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani is a Bahraini engineer and retired lieutenant general. He is the foreign minister, having formerly been the secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) from 1 April 2011 to February 2020. He was the fifth persian gulf secretary general and the first with military background since the persian gulf was established.
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Jack R. Lousma
- Occupations
- military flight engineerastronautmilitary officeraircraft pilot
- Biography
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Jack Robert Lousma is an American astronaut, aeronautical engineer, retired United States Marine Corps officer, former naval aviator, NASA astronaut, and politician. He was a member of the second crew, Skylab-3, on the Skylab space station in 1973. In 1982, he commanded STS-3, the third Space Shuttle mission. Lousma was inducted into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1997. He is the last living crew member of both of his spaceflights.
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Christopher Ferguson
- Occupations
- engineerastronautcommercial astronautmilitary officer
- Biography
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Christopher J. "Fergy" Ferguson is a Boeing commercial astronaut and a retired United States Navy captain and NASA astronaut. He was the pilot of Space Shuttle Atlantis on his first mission to space, STS-115, which launched on September 9, 2006, and returned to Earth on September 21, 2006. He then commanded STS-126 aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour. In 2011, he was assigned as commander of STS-135, which was the final mission of the space shuttle program.
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Michael Hagee
- Enrolled in Naval Postgraduate School
- Graduated with Master of Science in electrical engineering
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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Michael William Hagee is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general who served as the 33rd Commandant of the Marine Corps from 2003 to 2006, succeeding General James L. Jones on January 13, 2003. He stepped down as Commandant two months before the end of his four-year term, and was succeeded by General James T. Conway on November 13, 2006. On that date, Hagee had his retirement ceremony just prior to the passage of command ceremony. Hagee retired from the Marine Corps on January 1, 2007.
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Carlos I. Noriega
- Enrolled in Naval Postgraduate School
- In 1990 graduated with Master of Science in computer science
- Occupations
- astronautmilitary officer
- Biography
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Carlos Ismael Noriega Jiménez is a Peruvian-American NASA employee, a former NASA astronaut and a retired U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant colonel. Carlos became the first born Peruvian astronaut that went to space.
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Robert O. Work
- Biography
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Robert Orton Work is an American national security professional who served as the 32nd United States Deputy Secretary of Defense for both the Obama and Trump administrations from 2014 to 2017. Prior to that, Work was the United States' Under Secretary of the Navy from 2009 to 2013, and before that served as a colonel in the United States Marine Corps; Work retired in 2001 and worked as a civilian at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) and the George Washington University in various positions relating to military and strategic study. From 2013 to 2014, he was the CEO of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). After his time as Deputy Secretary of Defense, he went on to serve on the board of Raytheon. As of October 2023, he serves on the Special Competitive Studies Project's board of advisors.
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Frank Castellano
- Enrolled in Naval Postgraduate School
- Graduated with Master of Science in military information systems technology
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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Francis Xavier Castellano is a United States Navy captain currently assigned as the commanding officer of Center for Surface Combat Systems. He was the commander of the guided missile destroyer USS Bainbridge during the hijacking of MV Maersk Alabama.
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Cihat Yaycı
- Occupations
- university teachersoldierwriter
- Biography
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Cihat Yaycı is a Turkish author, former rear admiral, and theoretician of the irredentist and expansionist strategic–maritime doctrine known as "Blue Homeland".
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Jeffrey Williams
- Occupations
- test pilotengineerastronautarmy officer
- Biography
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Jeffrey Nels Williams is a retired United States Army officer and a NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of four space flights and formerly held the American record for most days spent in space, which was surpassed in April 2017 by his colleague Peggy Whitson.
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Eliezer Shkedi
- Occupations
- air force officer
- Biography
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Aluf Eliezer "Eli" Shkedy is a retired general in the Israel Defense Forces, who served as commander of the Israeli Air Force from 4 April 2004 until 13 May 2008. He is also a former CEO of El Al, the flag carrier of Israel.
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Liu Ho-chien
- Years
- 1926-2023 (aged 97)
- Occupations
- naval officer
- Biography
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Liu Ho-chien was a Taiwanese admiral who commanded the Republic of China Navy in the 1980s and served as Chief of the General Staff in the 1990s.
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Scott Altman
- Occupations
- military flight engineermilitary officerastronaut
- Biography
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Scott Douglas "Scooter" Altman is a retired United States Navy Captain and naval aviator, engineer, test pilot and former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of four Space Shuttle missions. His fourth mission on STS-125 was the last servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. In 2018, he was inducted into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame. As of November 2022, he is the president of the Space operating group for ASRC Federal.
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Paul J. Weitz
- Enrolled in Naval Postgraduate School
- Studied in 1964
- Occupations
- military flight engineermilitary officerastronaut
- Biography
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Paul Joseph Weitz was an American naval officer and aviator, aeronautical engineer, test pilot, and NASA astronaut, who flew into space twice. He was a member of the three-man crew who flew on Skylab 2, the first crewed Skylab mission. He was also commander of the STS-6 mission, the maiden flight of the Space Shuttle Challenger.
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Matthew Dominick
- Enrolled in Naval Postgraduate School
- Graduated with Master of Science in systems engineering
- Occupations
- test pilotengineerastronautmilitary personnel
- Biography
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Matthew Stuart Dominick is an American test pilot and NASA astronaut. As a pilot in the United States Navy (USN), he has more than 1,600 hours of flight time in 28 aircraft, 400 carrier-arrested landings, 61 combat missions, and almost 200 flight test carrier landings. He was on the International Space Station aboard the SpaceX Crew-8 mission from March to October 2024.
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Jon McBride
- Occupations
- fighter pilotmilitary flight engineerastronautmilitary officer
- Biography
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Jon Andrew McBride was an American naval officer, test pilot, astronaut and administrator for NASA.
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Alan G. Poindexter
- Occupations
- military officeraircraft pilotastronaut
- Biography
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Alan Goodwin Poindexter was an American naval officer and a NASA astronaut. Poindexter was selected in the 1998 NASA Group (G17) and went into orbit aboard Space Shuttle missions STS-122 and STS-131.
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Gerald Carr
- Enrolled in Naval Postgraduate School
- In 1961 graduated with Bachelor of Science in aeronautical engineering
- Occupations
- military flight engineerengineerastronautmilitary officer
- Biography
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Gerald Paul Carr was an American mechanical and aeronautical engineer, United States Marine Corps officer and aviator, and NASA astronaut. He was commander of Skylab 4, the third and final crewed visit to the Skylab Orbital Workshop, from November 16, 1973, to February 8, 1974.
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James D. Watkins
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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James David Watkins was a United States Navy admiral and former Chief of Naval Operations who served as the United States Secretary of Energy during the George H. W. Bush administration, also chairing U.S. government commissions on HIV/AIDS and ocean policy. Watkins also served on the boards of various companies and other nongovernmental organizations and as the co-chair of the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative.
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Joseph Weber
- Occupations
- physicistuniversity teacher
- Biography
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Joseph Weber was an American physicist. He gave the earliest public lecture on the principles behind the laser and the maser and developed the first gravitational wave detectors, known as Weber bars.
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Cecil D. Haney
- Occupations
- military personnel
- Biography
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Cecil Eugene Diggs Haney is a retired United States Navy admiral who served as Commander, United States Strategic Command (STRATCOM) from November 15, 2013 to November 3, 2016. Prior to STRATCOM, he served as Commander, United States Pacific Fleet. He received the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, and the Legion of Merit.
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Mark E. Mitchell
- Occupations
- military personnel
- Biography
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Mark Edward Mitchell is a former official in the United States Department of Defense and a retired military officer.
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John John Yeosock
- Enrolled in Naval Postgraduate School
- Graduated with Master of Science in operations research and systems analysis
- Occupations
- military personnel
- Biography
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John John Yeosock was a United States Army lieutenant general who commanded the Third United States Army during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm.
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Lorna Mahlock
- Born in
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Jamaica - Occupations
- military personnel
- Biography
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Lorna M. Mahlock is a United States Marine Corps major general who has served as commander of the Cyber National Mission Force since January 5, 2024. Nominated by President Trump In 2018, she became the first Black woman to be nominated for promotion to brigadier general in the United States Marine Corps. In December 2022, she became the first black female major general in the history of the Marine Corps.
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Michael T. Franken
- Enrolled in Naval Postgraduate School
- 1985-1987 graduated with Master of Science in underwater warfare
- Occupations
- politicianmilitary officer
- Biography
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Michael Thane Franken is an American retired United States Navy vice admiral. His final posting was as deputy director of military operations for the United States Africa Command. Franken was a Democratic candidate in the 2020 United States Senate election in Iowa, but lost the June 2 primary to Theresa Greenfield. Franken was the Democratic nominee for the 2022 United States Senate election in Iowa, which he lost to Republican incumbent Chuck Grassley.
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Daryl Caudle
- Enrolled in Naval Postgraduate School
- Graduated with Master of Science in physics
- Occupations
- military personnel
- Biography
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Daryl Lane Caudle is an admiral in the United States Navy who has served as the 34th chief of naval operations since 2025.
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Robert F. Overmyer
- Occupations
- military flight engineerastronautmilitary officeraircraft pilot
- Biography
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Robert Franklyn Overmyer was an American test pilot, naval aviator, aeronautical engineer, physicist, United States Marine Corps officer, and USAF/NASA astronaut. Overmyer was selected by the Air Force as an astronaut for its Manned Orbiting Laboratory in 1966. Upon cancellation of the program in 1969, he became a NASA astronaut and served support crew duties for the Apollo program, Skylab program, and Apollo–Soyuz Test Project. In 1976, he was assigned to the Space Shuttle program and flew as pilot on STS-5 in 1982 and as commander on STS-51-B in 1985. He was selected as a lead investigator into the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986, retiring from NASA that same year. A decade later, Overmyer died while testing the Cirrus VK-30 homebuilt aircraft.
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Craig S. Faller
- Enrolled in Naval Postgraduate School
- Graduated with master's degree in national security affairs
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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Craig Stephen Faller is a retired United States Navy admiral. A 1983 graduate of the United States Naval Academy and a native of Fryburg, Pennsylvania, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering. He earned his master's in national security affairs (strategic planning) from the Naval Postgraduate School in 1990.
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Victor J. Glover
- Occupations
- fighter pilotnaval officersystems engineertest pilotastronaut
- Biography
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Victor Jerome Glover Jr. is a United States Navy captain, test pilot, and astronaut from the NASA Astronaut Group 21. He was the pilot on the first operational flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon to the International Space Station. Glover was a F/A-18 pilot in the U.S. Navy and is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School. He was a crew member of Expedition 64, and served as a station systems flight engineer.
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Karl O. Thomas
- Enrolled in Naval Postgraduate School
- Graduated with Master of Science in information technology
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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Karl Owen Thomas is a United States Navy admiral who serves as the commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command. He most recently served as the deputy chief of naval operations for information warfare and Director of Naval Intelligence.
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Winston E. Scott
- Occupations
- military officeraircraft pilotastronaut
- Biography
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Winston Elliott "Win" Scott is a retired United States Navy Captain and former NASA astronaut. He served as a mission specialist on STS-72 in 1996 and STS-87 in 1997 logged a total of 24 days, 14 hours and 34 minutes in space, including three spacewalks totaling 19 hours and 26 minutes. Often known by his nickname of "Win", he was also a Naval Aviator and initially flew helicopters and later transitioned to fighter aircraft.
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Stephen R. Lyons
- Born in
- United States
- Occupations
- military personnel
- Biography
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Stephen R. Lyons is a retired four-star general in the United States Army who last served as the 13th commander of the United States Transportation Command from August 2018 to October 2021. He previously served as the commanding general of United States Army Combined Arms Support Command/Sustainment Center of Excellence as well as the senior mission commander for Fort Lee, Virginia, from 2014 to 2015.
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Robert Curbeam
- Occupations
- engineerastronautmilitary officeraircraft pilot
- Biography
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Robert Lee Curbeam Jr. is a former NASA astronaut and captain in the United States Navy. He currently holds the record for the most spacewalks during a single spaceflight, accomplished during the STS-116 mission, when Curbeam completed four spacewalks.
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John Batiste
- Enrolled in Naval Postgraduate School
- Graduated with Master of Science in financial management
- Occupations
- military personnel
- Biography
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John Robinson Batiste is a retired officer of the United States Army, author, and the co-founder of Batiste Leadership.
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William K. Lescher
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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William Kevin Lescher is a retired four-star admiral in the United States Navy who last served as the 41st Vice Chief of Naval Operations. He held this office from May 29, 2020, to September 2, 2022. Lescher was also the "Old Goat", the longest serving Naval Academy graduate on active duty, from 2018 to 2022.
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Theodore E. Chandler
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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Theodore Edson Chandler was a rear admiral of the United States Navy during World War II, who commanded battleship and cruiser divisions in both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets. He was killed in action when a Japanese kamikaze aircraft struck his flagship Louisville on January 6, 1945, in Lingayen Gulf, Philippine Islands. He died the next day, January 7, 1945, from severely scorched lungs. He was the last of five US Navy admirals killed in battle during WWII, including: Isaac C. Kidd (1941, Attack on Pearl Harbor); Norman Scott and Daniel J. Callaghan (same day, 1942, Naval Battle of Guadalcanal); and Henry M. Mullinnix (1943, Battle of Makin).
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Missy Cummings
- Years
- 1960s
- Enrolled in Naval Postgraduate School
- Graduated with Master of Science in space systems engineering
- Occupations
- aircraft pilotengineer
- Biography
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Mary Louise "Missy" Cummings is an American academic who was a professor at Duke University and director of Duke's Humans and Autonomy Laboratory. She was one of the United States Navy's first female fighter pilots. In November 2021, Dr. Cummings joined the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). She currently teaches at George Mason University.
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Kenneth Ham
- Occupations
- military officertest pilotmilitary flight engineerengineerastronaut
- Biography
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Kenneth Todd Ham is a retired American astronaut and a captain in the United States Navy. Ham was selected for NASA's astronaut program in August 1998, while serving as the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet lead carrier suitability test pilot. Ham's aviator call sign is "Hock". Ham traveled to space twice as part of the Space Shuttle program. He flew on STS-124 as pilot and then on STS-132 as mission commander.
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Michael Foreman
- Occupations
- astronautmilitary officer
- Biography
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Michael James Foreman is a retired U.S. Navy pilot, NASA astronaut, and local politician. While with NASA, Foreman was part of a mission that delivered the Japanese Experiment Module and the Canadian Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator to the International Space Station. Foreman was also a crewmember of the STS-129 mission in November 2009. In 2018, he was elected mayor of Friendswood, Texas; he was re-elected to a second 3-year term in 2021. He is running unopposed and will serve a third 3-year term beginning in 2024.
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William S. Wallace
- Occupations
- military personnel
- Biography
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William Scott Wallace is a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He served as Commanding General, United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) at Fort Monroe, Virginia from 13 October 2005 to 8 December 2008. He retired from the army on 8 December 2008.
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Cathy L. Lanier
- Occupations
- chief of policepolice officer
- Biography
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Cathy Lynn Lanier is a former chief of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPDC). Lanier was appointed by Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty in January 2007, replacing outgoing police chief Charles H. Ramsey. She is the first woman to hold the position. In May 2012, Mayor Vincent C. Gray agreed to retain Lanier as police chief under a new five-year contract. Lanier accepted a third appointment from Mayor Muriel Bowser in 2016, making her the first chief of police in MPD history to serve three mayors. Violent crime dropped 23 percent over the years Lanier was chief, and homicides plunged to a half-century low in 2012. On August 16, 2016, it was announced that Lanier had accepted a position as the senior vice president of security with the National Football League. Her last day as police chief was September 15, 2016, when she was succeeded by her deputy, Peter Newsham. Lanier was the longest serving Chief of Police in the history of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia.
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Thomas R. Turner II
- Years
- 1955-.. (age 71)
- Occupations
- executive officer
- Biography
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Lieutenant General Thomas R. Turner II is an American retired United States Army officer, who served as the commander of the 101st Airborne Division and United States Army North, Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
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Michael Coats
- Occupations
- military officeraircraft pilotastronaut
- Biography
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Michael Lloyd Coats is a former NASA astronaut (three spaceflights), raised in Riverside, California. From December 2005 to December 2012, he served as Director of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
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Robert Truax
- Occupations
- military flight engineermilitary officerengineer
- Biography
-
Captain Robert C. Truax was an American rocket engineer in the United States Navy, and companies such as Aerojet and Truax Engineering, which he founded. Truax was a proponent of low-cost rocket engine and vehicle designs.
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Keith Davids
- Enrolled in Naval Postgraduate School
- Graduated with Master of Science in manpower systems analysis
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
-
Keith Bently Davids is a retired American United States Navy special warfare officer with the rank of rear admiral. He served as the commander of Naval Special Warfare Command from 2022 to 2024. He was the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command South, United States Southern Command from 2020 to 2022. Previously, he served as director of the White House Military Office during the first presidency of Donald Trump. Earlier in his career, he was commanding officer of the Naval Special Warfare Center and SEAL Team One.
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Håkan Syrén
- Occupations
- military personnel
- Biography
-
General Håkan Erik Gunnar Syrén is a retired Swedish Navy officer. Syrén graduated from the Royal Swedish Naval Academy in 1973 and began his career as an instructor and platoon commander at the Vaxholm Coastal Artillery Regiment. After advanced studies in Sweden and at the U.S. Naval War College, he held key posts including teacher of strategy, head of planning at the Naval Staff, and commanding officer of both the Marine Amphibious Battalion and the Vaxholm Coastal Artillery Regiment. He later served as head of operations planning at Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters and in 1999 was promoted to major general, becoming Director of Military Intelligence and Security.
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David C. Hilmers
- Occupations
- physicianengineerastronautmilitary officer
- Biography
-
David Carl Hilmers is a former NASA astronaut who flew four Space Shuttle missions. He was born in Clinton, Iowa, but considers DeWitt, Iowa, to be his hometown. He has two grown sons. His recreational interests include playing the piano, gardening, electronics, spending time with his family, and all types of sports. His parents are deceased. With five academic degrees, he is the second most formally educated U.S. astronaut, behind Story Musgrave and Lee Morin with six.
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Thomas E. White
- Occupations
- managerpolitician
- Biography
-
Thomas Eugene White Jr. was an American businessman and former United States Army officer who served as a senior executive for a subsidiary of the now collapsed Enron and as the United States Secretary of the Army from May 31, 2001 until November 17, 2004.
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Wayne E. Meyer
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
-
Rear Admiral Wayne Eugene Meyer is regarded as the "Father of Aegis" for his 13 years of service as the Aegis Weapon System Manager and later the founding project manager of the Aegis Shipbuilding Project Office. He retired from the United States Navy in 1985 as the Deputy Commander for Weapons and Combat Systems, Naval Sea Systems, Naval Sea Systems Command and Ordnance Officer of the Navy.
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Stan Arthur
- Enrolled in Naval Postgraduate School
- Graduated with Bachelor of Science in aeronautical engineering
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
-
Admiral Stanley Roger Arthur is a retired admiral of the United States Navy who served as the Vice Chief of Naval Operations from 1992 to 1995.
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Mark E. Ferguson III
- Occupations
- naval officer
- Biography
-
Mark E. Ferguson III is a retired United States Navy admiral who last served as Commander, United States Naval Forces Europe, United States Naval Forces Africa and Allied Joint Force Command Naples. Ferguson previously served as the 37th Vice Chief of Naval Operations from August 22, 2011, to July 1, 2014. Prior to that, he served as the 55th Chief of Naval Personnel and Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Manpower, Personnel, Training & Education). He also served as chief of legislative affairs and assistant commander for distribution, Navy Personnel Command. He retired from active duty on July 1, 2016.
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Michael D. Lumpkin
- Enrolled in Naval Postgraduate School
- Graduated with Master of Arts in national security affairs
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
-
Michael D. Lumpkin is a former American Naval Officer and businessman who served as Chief of Staff at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from November 2023-January 2025, Special Envoy and Coordinator of the Global Engagement Center at the U.S. Department of State from January 2016 to January 2017. From 2013 until 2016, he was the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict. During that time, he also served as the acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, the third-highest civilian job at the United States Department of Defense.
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Kenneth Minihan
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
-
Kenneth A. Minihan was a United States Air Force lieutenant general who served as the director of the National Security Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency, retiring on 1 May 1999.
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Kent Rominger
- Occupations
- astronautmilitary officer
- Biography
-
Kent Vernon "Rommel" Rominger is an American former astronaut, former NASA Chief of the Astronaut Office at Johnson Space Center, and a captain in the United States Navy. Rominger holds the Space Shuttle Orbiter flight time record with 1610 hours. He joined ATK Launch Systems Group in 2006 as Vice President of Advanced Programs.
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Jan E. Tighe
- Biography
-
Jan Elizabeth Tighe is a retired United States Navy vice admiral who served as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare and 66th Director of Naval Intelligence from July 15, 2016, to July 2018. Prior to that, Tighe served as the Commander of the Tenth Fleet and Fleet Cyber Command. She became an independent director of Goldman Sachs in December 2018.
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Bryan D. O'Connor
- Occupations
- military officeraircraft pilotastronaut
- Biography
-
Bryan Daniel O'Connor is a retired United States Marine Corps Colonel and former NASA astronaut. He was inducted into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2008.
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Daniel W. Bursch
- Occupations
- test pilotastronautmilitary officeraircraft pilot
- Biography
-
Daniel Wheeler Bursch is a former NASA astronaut, and Captain of the United States Navy. He had four spaceflights, the first three of which were Space Shuttle missions lasting 10 to 11 days each. His fourth and final spaceflight was a long-duration stay aboard the International Space Station as a crew member of Expedition 4, which lasted from December 2001 to June 2002. This 196-day mission set a new record for the longest duration spaceflight for an American astronaut, a record simultaneously set with his crew mate Carl Walz. Their record has since been broken, and as of 2016 it is held by Scott Kelly, who flew a 340-day mission during Expeditions 43, 44 and 45.
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Joseph R. Donovan Jr
- Occupations
- diplomat
- Biography
-
Joseph R. Donovan Jr. is a former American diplomat who previously served as United States Ambassador to Indonesia. Joseph R. Donovan Jr. graduated from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. He earned a master's degree from the Naval Postgraduate School.
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Robert C. Springer
- Occupations
- astronautmilitary officer
- Biography
-
Robert Clyde Springer is a retired American astronaut and test pilot who flew as a mission specialist on two NASA Space Shuttle missions in 1989 and 1990. A decorated aviator in the United States Marine Corps, Springer also flew more than 500 combat sorties during the Vietnam War. He has logged over 237 hours in space and 4,500 hours flying time, including 3,500 hours in jet aircraft.
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John A. Gordon
- Enrolled in Naval Postgraduate School
- In 1970 graduated with Master of Science in physics
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
-
John Alexander Gordon was an American air force general who served as Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. He also served as the President's Homeland Security advisor from 2003 to 2004.
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Earl E. Stone
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
-
Earl Everett Stone was a rear admiral in the United States Navy. He is most noted for being the first director of the Armed Forces Security Agency, the predecessor to the National Security Agency.
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Jagath Jayasuriya
- Biography
-
General Jagath Jayasuriya, VSV, USP is a retired senior Sri Lanka Army officer; he was the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army from 15 July 2009 to 31 July 2013. During the closing stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War, he served as the Commander Security Forces Headquarters - Wanni with overall command of SLA offensives in the Wanni region during the 2008 - 2009 period. He was also the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Suriname from June 2014 to August 2017.
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Willis Winter Bradley
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Willis Winter Bradley Jr. was a mid-20th-century American Naval officer, a recipient of the Medal of Honor, Naval Governor of Guam, and a U.S. Representative from California.
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Stephen Frick
- Occupations
- test pilotnaval officerastronautmilitary flight engineer
- Biography
-
Stephen Nathaniel Frick is an American astronaut and a veteran of two Space Shuttle missions. Raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Frick graduated from Pine-Richland High School in 1982, earned a degree in aerospace engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 1986, was commissioned as a United States Navy officer, and trained as an F/A-18 fighter pilot. Stationed aboard the carrier USS Saratoga, he flew combat missions during the Gulf War and then earned a master's degree in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in 1994.
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Annette E. Brown
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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Annette Elise Brown is a retired rear admiral of the United States Navy.
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James G. Roche
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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James Gerard Roche is an American politician. He served as the 20th Secretary of the Air Force, serving from January 20, 2001 to January 20, 2005. Prior to serving as secretary, Roche served in the United States Navy for 23 years, and as an executive with Northrop Grumman.
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James J. Malloy
- Enrolled in Naval Postgraduate School
- Graduated with Master of Science in systems technology
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
-
James Joseph Malloy is a retired vice admiral in the United States Navy, who last served as Deputy Commander, United States Central Command from September 21, 2020, to July 2022.
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Ming Chang
- Enrolled in Naval Postgraduate School
- Graduated with Bachelor of Science in engineering electronics
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
-
Ming Erh Chang served in the U.S. Navy for 34 years, becoming the first naturalized Asian American naval officer to reach flag rank in the United States military. He became the Department of the Navy Inspector General in 1987 after holding cruiser and destroyer commands. When Chang left the navy, he became vice president and corporate director for the Pacific region at Raytheon International and then president of MEC International, LLC.
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Arthur K. Cebrowski
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
-
Vice Admiral Arthur Karl Cebrowski (August 13, 1942 – November 12, 2005) was a United States Navy admiral. He also who served from October 2001 to January 2005 as Director of the Office of Force Transformation in the U.S. Department of Defense. In this position, he was responsible for serving as an advocate, focal point, and catalyst for the transformation of the United States military.
