James Alexander "Sandy" Winnefeld Jr. (born April 24, 1956[2]) is a retiredUnited States Navyadmiral who served as the chair of thePresident's Intelligence Advisory Board. While on active duty, Winnefeld served as the ninthvice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from August 4, 2011, to July 31, 2015.
He previously served as the fourth commander ofU.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and the 21st commander ofNorth American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) from May 19, 2010, to August 3, 2011.
Prior to that, Winnefeld served as Director for Strategic Plans and Policy,Joint Staff which he concurrently served as the Senior Member, U.S. Delegation to the U.N. Military Staff Committee. His other operational commands include serving as the commander ofU.S. Sixth Fleet and commander of AlliedJoint Command Lisbon.
As thevice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Winnefeld was the second highest-ranking officer in theUnited States Armed Forces, second only to thechairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In 2015, he retired from the Navy after over 37 years of service. He currently serves on the board of directors forRaytheon Technologies, one of the largest aerospace and defense companies in the world.
Winnefeld's military lineage extended to his father and grandfather who both served in the Navy.[3] His great-grandfather was a Prussian cavalryman.[3]
Winnefeld graduated fromGeorgia Tech in 1978 with high honors in Aerospace Engineering and received his commission via theNavy Reserve Officer Training Corps program.[4]
While at Georgia Tech, he was a member of thePi Kappa Alpha fraternity. After designation as anaval aviator, he served with two fighter squadrons and as an instructor at theNavy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN). While an instructor at TOPGUN, he worked with crew fromParamount Pictures on the production of the movieTop Gun. Winnefeld went on to graduate with the highest distinction from theU.S. Naval War College off-campus program. He is a recipient of the AdmiralWilliam J. Crowe Award asJoint Staff Action Officer of the Year and the Vice AdmiralWilliam W. Behrens Jr. award as the honor graduate of his class atNuclear Power School.[citation needed]
His command tours includeFighter Squadron 211 (VF-211),USS Cleveland (LPD-7) and as the 17th commanding officer of theUSS Enterprise (CVN-65). He ledEnterprise through her 18th deployment, which included combat operations in Afghanistan in support ofOperation Enduring Freedom immediately after the terrorist acts ofSeptember 11, 2001. As commander,Carrier Strike Group 2/Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, he led Task Forces 50, 152 and 58 in support ofOperation Iraqi Freedom and maritime interception operations in the Persian Gulf. He most recently served concurrently as Commander,U.S. Sixth Fleet; Commander, AlliedJoint Command Lisbon; Commander, Striking and Support ForcesNATO;[5] Deputy Commander,U.S. Naval Forces Europe; and Joint Forces Maritime Component Commander, Europe.[5]
His shore tours include service as an action officer in the Joint Staff Operations Directorate, as senior aide to thechairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and as executive assistant to thevice chief of naval operations. As a flag officer he served ashore as Director, Warfare Programs and Transformational Concepts,U.S. Fleet Forces Command and as Director, Joint Innovation and Experimentation atU.S. Joint Forces Command.
Winnefeld is now a Distinguished Professor at theSam Nunn School of International Affairs atGeorgia Tech.[6] He is also a non-resident senior fellow at theBelfer Center at theHarvard Kennedy School.[7]
Winnefeld began speaking out on his son's opioid overdose death and advocating for awareness of the opioid epidemic.[8][9][10]
In an April 5, 2020 phone call toWhite House Chief of StaffMark Meadows, Senate Minority LeaderChuck Schumer touted Winnefeld as a potentialCOVID-19 czar to oversee the production and disbursement of medical equipment.[11]
In May 2022, Winnefeld was appointed to serve as chair of thePresident's Intelligence Advisory Board.[1]
Winnefeld was the commanding officer of theUSSEnterprise during theSeptember 11 attacks.[12] TheEnterprise was headed toCape Town, South Africa, for a port call.[12] The crew was watching television at sea on September 11 and watched the hijackedUnited Airlines Flight 175 airliner strike the south tower of theWorld Trade Center.[12] Acting without specific direction from theNational Command Authority, then-Captain Winnefeld gave the order to put the ship's rudder over (180° degree turn) to take station in theArabian Sea.[12]
The carrier's aircraft were within range ofAfghanistan the next morning.[12] For over three weeks starting on October 7, aircraft fromEnterprise flew nearly 700 missions and dropped large amounts of ordnance over Afghanistan. TheChief of Naval Operations, AdmiralVern Clark praised Winnefeld and credited him for taking initiative as well as for theEnterprise's crew readiness.[12]
| Ensign | Lieutenant (junior grade) | Lieutenant | Lieutenant Commander | Commander | Captain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| O-1 | O-2 | O-3 | O-4 | O-5 | O-6 |
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| June 7, 1978 | June 7, 1980 | July 1, 1982 | September 1, 1988 | September 1, 1992 | September 1, 1997 |
| Rear Admiral (lower half) | Rear Admiral | Vice Admiral | Admiral |
|---|---|---|---|
| O-7 | O-8 | O-9 | O-10 |
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| October 1, 2003 | May 6, 2006 | September 14, 2007 | May 19, 2010 |
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He is also a recipient of theWilliam J. Crowe,William W. Behrens Jr. awards and the 2012 recipient of theNaval War College Distinguished Graduate Leadership Award.
After losing a son to opioid addiction, the Winnefeld family began dedicating themselves to studying the issue. They launched a website called SafeProject.us with the goal of saving other families from experiencing the same tragedy.[8][15][16]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Commander of theUnited States Sixth Fleet 2007-2008 | Succeeded by |
| Commander ofNaval Striking and Support Forces NATO 2007-2008 | ||
| Commander ofAllied Joint Force Command Lisbon 2007-2008 | ||
| Preceded by | Director for Strategic Plans and Policy of theJoint Staff 2008-2010 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander of theUnited States Northern Command 2010–2011 | |
| Commander of theNorth American Aerospace Defense Command 2010–2011 | ||
| Preceded by | Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 2011–2015 | Succeeded by |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chair of thePresident's Intelligence Advisory Board 2022–present | Incumbent |
Vice chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
