James A. Winnefeld, Jr.

A 1978 graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology, Admiral Winnefeld holds a degree in Aerospace Engineering. He began his naval service as a fighter pilot, flying the F-14 Tomcat during several deployments to the Western Pacific and Arabian Gulf regions, and continued his career instructing at the Navy Fighter Weapons School (also known as TOPGUN) and serving as senior aide-de-camp to General Colin L. Powell. He commanded a fighter squadron, the amphibious ship USS CLEVELAND, and the aircraft carrier USS ENTERPRISE. As a flag officer, he commanded a carrier strike group, two NATO commands, the United States 6th Fleet, United States Northern Command, and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). He retired in 2015.