The Secretary of Defense today announced that President
Clinton has nominated Admiral Jay L. Johnson, U.S. Navy, to be
the 26th Chief of Naval Operations.
Admiral Johnson has served as the Vice Chief of Naval
Operations since March 1996. Upon confirmation by the Senate, he
would be the senior uniformed leader of the Navy, responsible for
organizing, training, equipping, preparing and maintaining the
readiness of naval forces. The CNO is also the Navy
representative on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Commenting on the President's nomination, Secretary of
Defense William J. Perry said, Admiral Johnson will be an
outstanding Chief of Naval Operations. He combines the
advantages of youth with great experience, particularly
operational experience. He has been the Vice CNO and is
intimately familiar with the process of running naval
operations.
A native of West Salem, Wisconsin, Admiral Johnson is a 1968
graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. He is a Naval Aviator with
extensive operational experience, including combat operations in
Vietnam flying the F-8 Crusader, command of an F-14 fighter
squadron and command of a carrier air wing. He was the USS
Theodore Roosevelt battle group commander during a deployment in
late 1993 and early 1994 in which the battle group initiated
Operation Deny Flight in Bosnia, and also supported operation
Southern Watch over Iraq while operating in the Red Sea. His
shore duty includes three tours in the personnel area, the most
recent being from 1990 until 1992 as the Navy's Assistant Chief
of Naval Personnel for Distribution, a position which manages
career development and worldwide assignment of all Navy
personnel.
Before assuming his current position, Admiral Johnson was
Commander, U.S. Second Fleet with additional duty as NATO's
Commander, Striking Fleet Atlantic. During this tour he
conducted the rescue of Cuban and Haitian migrants and supervised
fleet operations associated with Operation Uphold Democracy in
Haiti. The operation saw new use of joint forces, including the
deployment of Army helicopters and Special Forces troops aboard
the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Admiral Johnson is married to the former Garland Hawthorne
of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Their daughter, Cullen, is a
graduate of Longwood College in Virginia.
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