Robert F. Willard

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Admiral Robert F. Willard (2010)

Robert "Bob" Frederick Willard (born December 5, 1950 in Bell , Los Angeles County , California ) is a former admiral in the US Navy who was last in command of the United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) between 2009 and 2012 .

In the 1986 action film Top Gun directed by Tony Scott - You fear neither death nor the devil , he flew the fictional MiG 28 .

Life

US Navy officer and staff officer

After attending school, Willard completed a degree in industrial engineering at Old Dominion University , which he completed with a Master of Science degree (M.Sc. Engineering Management). After attending the US Naval Academy in Annapolis , he joined the US Navy in 1973. This was followed by assignments as an officer in the naval aviation and staff officer in various naval units.

In addition, he served as Lieutenant Commander temporarily as a military advisor in films such as Top Gun - You fear neither death nor the devil (1986) by Tony Scott with Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis and Anthony Edwards and Hell on the Battleground (1989) by David A. Prior with William Smith , Fritz Matthews and Ted Prior . At Top Gun he flew the fictional MiG 28 .

Later, he was commander of the USS Tripoli (LPH-10), a amphibious assault vessel of Iwo Jima class , and the commander of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72).

Promotion to admiral in the US Navy

On July 18, 2002, Vice Admiral Willard succeeded Vice Admiral James W. Metzger as Commander of the 7th Fleet, which was responsible for the western Pacific and Indian Oceans , and held this post until August 6, 2004 and his subsequent replacement by Vice Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert . On March 18, 2005, he replaced John B. Nathman as Vice Chief of Naval Operations and was thus until his replacement by Patrick M. Walsh in April 2007, Deputy Commander of Naval Operations and the second most senior officer in the US Navy.

On May 8, 2007, Admiral Willard succeeded Admiral Gary Roughead as Commander in Chief of the US Pacific Fleet (COMPACFLT), which is based in Pearl Harbor as part of the US Navy and is the 3rd Fleet for the Central and Eastern Pacific and 7th US Includes fleet for the western Pacific and Indian Oceans. He held the position of COMPACFLT until September 25, 2009 and was then replaced again by Admiral Patrick M. Walsh.

Most recently, Willard was on October 19, 2009 as the successor to Admiral Timothy J. Keating Commander in Chief of the US Pacific Command, one of six inter -armed forces regional commands of the US armed forces and responsible for the Pacific and Southeast Asian region. His wife Donna Willard was godmother of the nuclear submarine USS California (SSN-781) in 2010 . On March 9, 2012, he passed this high command to Admiral Samuel J. Locklear and retired.

Willard has received several awards for his forty years of service in the military, including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal , Legion of Merit , Meritorious Service Medal , Navy Achievement Medal , Navy Commendation Medal and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal .

After retiring from active military service, on March 9, 2012, he succeeded Admiral James O. Ellis as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Willard, Robert F.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Willard, Robert Frederick (full name); Willard, Bob Frederick (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American Military, United States Navy Admiral
DATE OF BIRTH 5th December 1950
PLACE OF BIRTH Bell , Los Angeles County , California