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James G. Stavridis

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James G. Stavridis
Birth nameJames George Stavridis
Nickname(s)Zorbas[1]
Born (1955-02-15) February 15, 1955 (age 69)
West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
Allegiance United States
Service / branch United States Navy
Years of service1976–2013
Rank Admiral
CommandsSupreme Allied Commander Europe
U.S. European Command
U.S. Southern Command
Awards Defense Distinguished Service Medal
Navy Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit

James George "Jim" Stavridis (born February 15, 1955)[2] is a retired United States Navy admiral and the current dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, a graduate school for international affairs.[3] He is also chairman of the board of the U.S. Naval Institute [4][5] and a Senior Fellow at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.[6]

Stavridis graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1976. While in the Navy, Stavridis served as the commander, U.S. Southern Command (2006 to 2009) and commander, U.S. European Command and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (2009 to 2013).[7][8] the first Navy officer to have held these positions. Stavridis earned a Ph.D and Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in 1984, where he won the Gullion Prize.

Stavridis retired from the Navy in 2013 after thirty years of service and became dean of The Fletcher School in the summer 2013. His book The Accidental Admiral, describing his time in the Navy, was published in October 2014. He is an associate fellow of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy.[9]

On July 12, 2016, The New York Times and other media organizations reported that Stavridis was being vetted by the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign as a possible vice presidential running mate on the Democratic ticket.[10] The Washington Post summarized Stavridis' qualifications in a short video. Publications like Navy Times cited his NATO leadership as pluses. An article in Politico called him "Hillary's Anti-Trump." Stavridis was quoted [11] in that article as joking: "My name is too long for a bumper sticker." Eventually, Clinton selected Tim Kaine.

Early life and family

Stavridis was born in West Palm Beach, Florida,[12] son of Shirley Anne (Schaffer) and P. George Zafiris Stavridis.[13][14][15] He is married to Laura Hall, author of Navy Spouses Guide. His paternal grandparents were Pontic Greeks, born and raised in northeastern Anatolia, who emigrated to the United States.[16] His mother's family was Pennsylvania Dutch (German).[17]

In his 2008 book, Destroyer Captain: Lessons of a First Command, Stavridis wrote:

In the early 1920's, my grandfather, a short, stocky Greek schoolteacher named Dimitrios Stavridis, was expelled from Turkey as part of 'ethnic cleansing' (read pogrom) directed against Greeks living in the remains of the Ottoman Empire. He barely escaped with his life in a small boat crossing the Aegean Sea to Athens and thence to Ellis Island. His brother was not so lucky and was killed by the Turks as part of the violence directed at the Greek minority.

A NATO exercise off the coast of modern Turkey was the "most amazing historical irony [he] could imagine," and prompted Stavridis to write of his grandfather: "His grandson, who speaks barely a few words of Greek, returns in command of a billion-dollar destroyer to the very city - Smyrna, now called İzmir - from which he sailed in a refugee craft all those years ago."[18]

ADM James G. Stavridis, former Commander, EUCOM, and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe.

Stavridis is a 1976 distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. He is a career surface warfare officer and served at sea in aircraft carriers, cruisers, and destroyers. After serving with distinction as Operations Officer on the newly commissioned USS Valley Forge, Stavridis commanded destroyer USS Barry from 1993 to 1995, completing deployments to Haiti, Bosnia, and the Persian Gulf. Barry won the Battenberg Cup as the top ship in the Atlantic Fleet under his command. In 1998, he commanded Destroyer Squadron 21 and deployed to the Persian Gulf in 1998, winning the Navy League’s John Paul Jones Award for Inspirational Leadership.

From 2002 to 2004, Stavridis commanded Enterprise Carrier Strike Group, conducting combat operations in the Persian Gulf in support of both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Afterwards, as Vice Admiral, Stavridis served as senior military assistant to the United States Secretary of Defense. On October 19, 2006, he became the first Navy officer to command the United States Southern Command in Miami, Florida. In July 2009, he became Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR).[19] He retired as SACEUR in 2013.

Ashore, Stavridis served as a strategic and long range planner on the staffs of the Chief of Naval Operations and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. At the start of the "Global War on Terror", he was selected as the director of the Navy Operations Group, Deep Blue, USA. He has also served as the executive assistant to the Secretary of the Navy and the senior military assistant to the United States Secretary of Defense.

Stavridis has long advocated the use of "smart power," which he defines as the balance of hard and soft power taken together. In numerous articles[20] and speeches, he has advocated creating security in the 21st century by building bridges, not walls. Stavridis has stressed the need to connect international, inter-agency, and public-private actors to build security, lining all of them with effective strategic communications. His message was articulated in his book "Partnership for the Americas", which was published by the NDU Press and was based on his time as Commander of the U.S. Southern Command from 2006-2009. The book was summarized in his 2012 Ted Global talk in Scotland ,which has been viewed more than 650,000 times online.

Based on an anonymous complaint, in early 2011 the DOD Inspector General began investigating allegations that ADM Stavridis “engaged in misconduct relating to official and unofficial travel and other matters.” He was subsequently the subject of a May 3, 2012, report by the Inspector General of the Department of Defense[21] and was later absolved of wrongdoing by the Secretary of the Navy on September 11, 2012. In a Memorandum for the Record,[22] Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus wrote that Stavridis: "has consistently demonstrated himself to be a model naval officer and a devoted public servant whose motivation is to do that which is necessary and appropriate to advance the interests of the United States." Mabus concluded that "I have determined that ADM Stavridis never attempted to use his public office for private gain nor did he commit personal misconduct."[23]

Stavridis earned a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy in 1983, and a PhD in International Relations in 1984, from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, where he won the Gullion Prize as outstanding student. Stavridis is also 1992 distinguished graduate of the United States National War College.

Dean of The Fletcher School

Stavridis was appointed dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University on July 1, 2013. He frequently publishes his thoughts, opinions and analyses in myriad publications, including the Western Hemisphere policy publication Americas Quarterly and the United States Naval Institute's blog.

As dean, Stavridis has initiated a strategic planning process, invited several high level speakers to the campus, and is focusing thematically on the Arctic, the role of women in international relations, synthetic biology and its impact on foreign affairs, cyber, and the role of online media and social networks in public diplomacy.[24]

Media and public speaking

Admiral Stavridis in the remote studio at The Fletcher School

Since leaving active duty, Stavridis has frequently appeared on major broadcast and cable television networks to comment on national security and foreign policy matters. He often commented on CNN,[25] Fox News,[26] BBC[27] and Bloomberg,[28] and is a frequent op-ed contributor in Foreign Policy[29] and the Nikkei Asian Review.[30]

Tufts University had a remote television studio installed[31] on the campus of The Fletcher School so that Stavridis and other faculty and administrators could easily make themselves available to the international media. In August 2016 NBC News named Stavridis as their "chief international security and diplomacy analyst.[32]" Also in August 2016, according to Stavridis' official Twitter account,[33] he began a monthly column for Time.com. The first column was about a "grand bargain" with Russia.[34]

Stavridis has also been a public speaker – among his known appearances were ones at the World Economic Forum[35] in Davos, Switzerland, the Munich Security Conference [36] in 2013, and lectures at Harvard, Yale, Georgetown, and The University of Texas at Arlington.

Awards and decorations

U.S. Army General David H. Petraeus, right, with the U.S. Navy Admiral James G. Stavridis, commander of European Command and NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe in Brussels in 2011
U.S. Navy Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Army General John Craddock and U.S. Navy Admiral James G. Stavridis, incoming commander, salute during the national anthem at the U.S. European Command change of command ceremony at Patch Barracks in Stuttgart in June 2009

U.S. military decorations

Stavridis has received the following awards and decorations of the United States military.

Surface Warfare Officer badge

Bronze oak leaf cluster
 Defense Distinguished Service Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster
Navy Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal
Gold star
Gold star
Gold star
Gold star
 Legion of Merit with four gold award stars
Gold star
Gold star
 Meritorious Service Medal with two award stars
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Gold star
Gold star
Gold star
 Navy Commendation Medal with three award stars
Navy Achievement Medal
Bronze oak leaf cluster
 Joint Meritorious Unit Award with one oak leaf cluster
Navy Unit Commendation
Bronze star
Bronze star
 Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation with 2 bronze service stars
Navy "E" Ribbon w/ Wreathed Battle E device
Navy Expeditionary Medal
Bronze star
Bronze star
 National Defense Service Medal with two bronze service stars
Bronze star
Bronze star
 Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with one bronze service stars
Bronze star
 Southwest Asia Service Medal with one bronze service star
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Bronze star
Bronze star
 Armed Forces Service Medal with two bronze service stars
Silver star
Bronze star
Bronze star
 Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with one silver and two bronze service stars
Bronze star
 Navy & Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon with bronze service star
Navy Expert Rifleman Medal
Navy Expert Pistol Shot Medal

International decorations

Commander's degree, National Order of the Legion of Honour of France[37]
Grand Cross Order of the Crown (Belgium)
Grand Cross Order of the Phoenix (Greece)
Commendation Ministry of Defense: "Cross of Merit and Honour First Class" (Greece)
Estonian Order of the Cross of the Eagle First Class[38]
Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Knight Grand Cross of the Republic
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Grand Merit Cross with Star[39]
Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
The Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary
Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit (Poland)[40]
Order of Duke Trpimir (Croatia)
Cross of Commander of the Order for Merits to Lithuania[41]
Investiture Medal of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.[42]
Order of Naval Merit (Argentina)
Order of Naval Merit in the degree of Grand Officer (Brazil)
Cruz de la Victoria (Chile)[43]
Order of Naval Merit Admiral Padilla (Colombia)
Order of the Peruvian Cross of Naval Merit in the rank of Grand Cross along with a White Ribbon (Peru)[44]
The Emblem of Honor of the General Staff of Romania
Medal of Honorary Recognition of Latvia[45]
Military Merit Grand Cross Medal of the Portuguese Republic
Order of Vakhtang Gorgasali - I Rank (Country of Georgia)[46]
Albanian Medal of Gratitude[47]
Slovenian Medal for multinational cooperation 1st grade
Navy National Defense Cross (Guatemala)
Grand Cross (Dominican Republic)
NATO Meritorious Service Medal
NATO Medal for Former Yugoslavia
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)

Other awards and honors

Stavridis has received an array of other awards and honors, including the following (listed by date conferred):

Published works

Selected books

  • The Accidental Admiral: A Sailor Takes Command at NATO, U.S. Naval Institute Press, 2014 ISBN 978-1-61251-704-9
  • Partnership for the Americas: Western Hemisphere Strategy and U.S. Southern Command, NDU Press, November 2010
  • Command At Sea, Sixth Edition, Annapolis: U.S. Naval Institute Press, Co-authored with Rear Admiral Robert Girrier, USN, 2010 ISBN 9781591147985
  • Destroyer Captain: Lessons of a First Command, U.S. Naval Institute Press, 2007 ISBN 9781591148494
  • Watch Officer’s Guide, Twelfth Edition, Annapolis: U.S. Naval Institute Press, Co-authored with Captain Robert Girrier, 2006 ISBN 9781591149361
  • Division Officer’s Guide, Eleventh Edition, Annapolis: U.S. Naval Institute Press, Co-authored with Commander Robert Girrier, 2005 ISBN 9781591147992

References

  1. ^ USNA 1976 Lucky Bag Yearbook
  2. ^ "SAE - U.S. Admiral James G. Stavridis appointed NATO Supreme Commander / World Council of Hellenes Abroad". SAE – World Council of Hellenes Abroad. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  3. ^ "NATO Commander Admiral James Stavridis Named Next Fletcher Dean". Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  4. ^ "Naval Institute Appoints Admiral James G. Stavridis Chair of the Board".
  5. ^ "Board of Directors". U.S. Naval Institute. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
  6. ^ "Senior Fellows at Johns Hopkins APL".
  7. ^ Miles, Donna (June 30, 2009). "Stavridis Assumes Top European Command Post From Craddock". DefenseLink. Retrieved June 30, 2009.
  8. ^ "NATO Secretary General welcomes new Supreme Allied Commander Europe". May 13, 2013.
  9. ^ GCSP.CH. "Global Fellowship Initiative".
  10. ^ Ashley Parker & Maggie Haberman, James Stavridis, Retired Admiral, Is Being Vetted as Hillary Clinton’s Running Mate, New York Times (July 12, 2016).
  11. ^ "Hillary's anti-Trump". Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  12. ^ "Nominations of ADM James G. Stavridis, USN, for Reappointment to the Grade of Admiral and to be Commander, U.S. European Command and Supreme Allied Commander, Europe; Lt. Gen. Douglas M. Fraser, USAF, to be General and Commander, U.S. Southern Command; and LTG Stanley A. McChrystal, USA, to be General and Commander, International Security Assistance Force and Commander, U.S. Forces, Afghanistan" (PDF). NOMINATIONS BEFORE THE SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE, FIRST SESSION, 111TH CONGRESS. Government Printing Office. June 2, 2009. p. 793. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  13. ^ "P. George Stavridis". Morning Call. September 19, 2001. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  14. ^ "Mrs. Minnie Schaffer". Morning Call. April 7, 1985. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  15. ^ Laura Hall Stavridis (2002). Navy Spouse's Guide. Naval Institute Press – via Google Books.
  16. ^ Shanker, Thom (June 29, 2009). "For a Post in Europe, a Renaissance Admiral". The New York Times. Retrieved June 30, 2009.
  17. ^ Scaros, Constantinos E. "Adm. Stavridis: "21st Century Challenges" - The National Herald".
  18. ^ Oren, Amir (October 16, 2009). "U.S. NATO chief blames Turkey for 'ethnic cleansing' of Greeks, including own family". Haaretz. Retrieved October 16, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ NATO biography page retrieved in March 2012, http://www.aco.nato.int/page15314820.aspx
  20. ^ Oliver Barrett (July 25, 2013). "Talking 'Smart Power' With Admiral Stavridis". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  21. ^ " DOD IG Report No. 11H118481105, of May 3, 2012
  22. ^ http://www.navy.mil/secnav/SECNAV_letter_09112012.pdf
  23. ^ "Stavridis II: Winning the Battle, Losing the War". TIME.com. November 12, 2012.
  24. ^ "The Power of Soft Power: Dean Stavridis Featured in Tufts Magazine | Tufts Fletcher School". Fletcher.tufts.edu. October 29, 2013. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
  25. ^ "Fmr. NATO Commander: ISIS will replace leader killed - CNN Video". CNN. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  26. ^ "Admiral James Stavridis: We must go after ISIS at its source". Fox News. March 23, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  27. ^ "Former NATO Commander: 'Russia confident Assad will stay in power' - BBC News". BBC News. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  28. ^ "Trump, Clinton and the Importance of U.S. Foreign Policy". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  29. ^ "Was a Fake War in the Saudi Desert a Dress Rehearsal for a Syrian Invasion?". Foreign Policy. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  30. ^ Stavridis, James (February 23, 2016). "Nikkei Asian Review". Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  31. ^ "Dean's Video: Oct 2015: In the New TV Studio with Ed Schumacher-Matos, Director of The Murrow Center".
  32. ^ http://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/retired-navy-admiral-joins-nbc-and-msnbc
  33. ^ https://twitter.com/stavridisj/status/765259242517491712
  34. ^ http://time.com/4452328/grand-bargain-russia/
  35. ^ "James G. Stavridis - World Economic Forum". World Economic Forum.
  36. ^ ""We have to share our military and industrial capabilities" - Munich Security Conference". February 22, 2016.
  37. ^ "ACO - Allied Command Operations | French Chief of Defence visits SHAPE". Aco.nato.int. July 22, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  38. ^ "Admiral Stavridis Receives Order of the Cross of the Eagle from Estonia".
  39. ^ "Germany honors SACEUR Stavridis with medal".
  40. ^ "Postanowienie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 20 kwietnia 2011 r. o nadaniu orderu (M.P. Nr 71, poz. 695)" (PDF).
  41. ^ "The President awards NATO Supreme Allied Commander Admiral James G. Stavridis with the Cross of Commander". Office of the President of the Republic of Lithuania. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  42. ^ nl:Inhuldigingsmedaille 2013
  43. ^ "Ejército de Chile - Noticias". Ejercito.cl. January 9, 2008. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  44. ^ http://justf.org/files/images/gallery/080421pe01.jpg. Retrieved February 5, 2010. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)[dead link‍]
  45. ^ "Sargs.lv". Sargs.lv. July 17, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  46. ^ "Admiral James G. Stavridis given the Vakhtang Gorgasali award by Saakashvili".
  47. ^ "President Nishani awards the "Medal of Gratitude" to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Admiral Stavridis".
  48. ^ Distinguished Graduate Leadership Award, Naval War College (accessed July 12, 2016).
  49. ^ "Intrepid Freedom Award". Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.
  50. ^ "ADM James G. Stavridis, USN, to receive AFCEA's highest award" (Press release). AFCEA. April 28, 2011.
  51. ^ "Athenagoras Human Rights Award bestowed upon Admiral Stavridis, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, on behalf of U.S. Armed Forces". Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. October 31, 2011.
  52. ^ "The 2011 Henry M. Jackson Distinguished Service Award & Grateful Nation Award Dinner - November 7, Washington DC". Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs. July 22, 2011.
  53. ^ "2011 Atlantic Council Annual Awards Dinner: Biden, Stavridis, Kent, Domingo". Atlantic Council. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  54. ^ Washington Forum and the Eisenhower Award Dinner honoring Admiral James G. Stavridis, USN and Maj. Gen. Josue "Joe" Robles Jr., USA (Ret.), Business Executives for National Security (May 22, 2012).
  55. ^ Dimitri C. Michalakis. "Chian Federation to Present Adm. James G. Stavridis with 33rd Annual Homeric Award". Neo Magazine. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  56. ^ "Stimson Center Honors Nokia and James Stavridis with Pragmatist + Idealist Awards Nov. 15" (Press release). Stimson Center. November 12, 2013.
  57. ^ Lifetime Achievement Award, Alpha Omega Council (accessed July 12, 2016).
  58. ^ ADM Jim Stavridis, USN (Ret) - 2015 Distinguished Sea Service Award Honoree, Naval Order of the United States (September 2, 2015).
  59. ^ "World Changers Honored as Messengers of Peace".
  60. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ3MRPD-_9M
Wikimedia Commons has media related to James G. Stavridis.
Military offices
Preceded by Combatant Commander of United States Southern Command
2006–2009 		Succeeded by
Combatant Commander of United States European Command
2009–2013 		Succeeded by
Supreme Allied Commander Europe
2009–2013
Academic offices
Preceded by Dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
2013–present 		Incumbent

Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: http://www.navy.mil/navydata/bios/navybio.asp?bioID=270

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