Michael Mullen
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For other people named Michael Mullen, see Michael Mullen (disambiguation).
| Michael G. Mullen | |
|---|---|
| Born October 4, 1946 | |
 Admiral Michael Mullen, USN 17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff | |
| Nickname | Mike |
| Place of birth | Los Angeles, California |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/branch |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1968-present |
| Rank |  Admiral |
| Commands held | Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chief of Naval Operations U.S. Naval Forces Europe Allied Joint Force Command Naples Vice Chief of Naval Operations U.S. Second Fleet NATO Striking Fleet Atlantic Cruiser-Destroyer Group Two George Washington Battle Group USS Yorktown (CG-48) USS Goldsborough (DDG-20) USS Noxubee (AOG-56) |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
| Awards | Defense Distinguished Service Medal (2) Navy Distinguished Service Medal (2) Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit (6) |
Contents[show] |
[edit] Early life
[edit] Career
As a junior officer, he served in various leadership positions aboard USS Collett (DD-730), USS Blandy (DD-943), USS Fox (CG-33) and USS Sterrett (CG-31). He has commanded three ships: the gasoline tanker USS Noxubee (AOG-56), the guided missile destroyer USS Goldsborough (DDG-20), and the guided missile cruiser USS Yorktown (CG-48); and has also commanded Cruiser-Destroyer Group Two and the George Washington Battle Group. Mullen’s last command at sea was as Commander, U.S. Second Fleet/Commander, NATO Striking Fleet Atlantic (COMSTRIKFLTLANT).In 1985, Mullen graduated from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., with a Master of Science degree in Operations Research, and in 1991, he completed the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program.
Mullen served as Company Officer and Executive Assistant to the Commandant of Midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy. He also served in the Bureau of Naval Personnel as Director, Chief of Planning and Provisions, Surface Officer Distribution and in the Office of the Secretary of Defense on the staff of the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation. On the Chief of Naval Operations' staff, Mullen served as Deputy Director and Director of Surface Warfare and as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Resources, Requirements, and Assessments (N8). He was the 32nd Vice Chief of Naval Operations from August 2003 to October 2004.
He was recognized by his peers in 1987 with the Vice Admiral Stockdale leadership award for leadership skill. He is one of 53 naval officers to be recognized by this award since its inception in 1980.
As Commander, Allied Joint Force Command Naples, Mullen had operational responsibility for NATO missions in the Balkans, Iraq, and the Mediterranean. As Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe, he was responsible for providing overall command, operational control, and coordination of U.S. naval forces in the European Command area of responsibility. He assumed these duties on 8 October 2004 and was relieved of them upon his becoming Chief of Naval Operations.
On 29 October 2006, the Honolulu Advertiser published an editorial by Mullen that defined the concept of the 1,000-ship navy.[3]
[edit] Joint Chiefs of Staff
On August 3, 2007, the U.S. Senate confirmed Mullen as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.[6] Upon taking office, Mullen became the first Navy Admiral to hold the Chairman's position since Admiral William Crowe, who served as Chairman prior to the enactment of the Goldwater-Nichols Act in 1986, and was the immediate predecessor to Army General and later Secretary of State Colin Powell.
On March 18, 2009, Gates recommended to President Barack Obama that Mullen be re-nominated for a second term as chairman of the Joint Chiefs.[7] He was unanimously confirmed by the Senate on September 25, 2009[8] and began his second term on October 1, 2009.
On February 2, 2010, Mullen and Gates said that they fully support President Obama’s decision to end the "Don't ask, don't tell" law, which prevents openly gay people from serving in the military. “It is my personal belief that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do,” Mullen said at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. “No matter how I look at the issue…I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens…For me, it comes down to integrity — theirs as individuals and ours as an institution.”
[edit] 2007 Senate testimony regarding the Iraq war
During Mullen's Senate confirmation hearings for his first term nomination as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mullen identified political progress in Iraq as a critical component of Iraq policy.[9] He noted that, "there does not appear to be much political progress" in Iraq.[9] He also said, "If [the Iraqis] aren't making progress in [the political] realm, the prospects for movement in a positive direction are not very good. Failure to achieve tangible progress toward [political] reconciliation requires a strategic reassessment."[9] Mullen further told the Senate that the United States needs to "bring as much pressure on [Iraq's political leaders] as [the U.S.] possibly can."[9]Regarding the length and scope of the U.S. involvement in Iraq, Mullen told the Senate that while he does not envision permanent U.S. bases in Iraq, "vital interests in the region and in Iraq require a pragmatic, long-term commitment that will be measured in years, not months."[9]
[edit] Speech to the JINSA on the 2008 Mumbai attacks
On December 8, 2008, Mullen spoke to the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA) where he accepted JINSA's "Henry M. Jackson Distinguished Service Award." During his speech, Mullen stated that the 2008 Mumbai attacks "crossed a new threshold" and that "Their level of tactical sophistication with GPS and Blackberrys and satellite phones matches only the indiscriminate nature of death and destruction they caused - and yet they intended far worse." He stated that "We are working to prevent November 26 from becoming a tipping point toward chaos in the region by confronting once again a common enemy." He also stated that "the images of two-year-old Moshe Holtzberg soon after his parents were mercilessly struck down in Chabad house should not ever leave us."[10][edit] Views on use of military force
Mullen outlined three principles about the 'proper use of modern military forces':
- Military power should not be the last resort of the state: Mullen pointed to the readiness and capacity of military forces to respond to crises as reason to deploy them sooner, rather than later, in response. "We can, merely by our presence, help alter certain behavior."
- Force should be applied in a precise and principled way: Mullen cites the sacrifice involved in deployment as requiring extreme care. Secondly, Mullen argues that "the battlefield isn’t necessarily a field anymore. It’s in the minds of the people." He cites General McChrystal's restriction of night raids as an example of this 2nd principle in action.
- Policy and strategy should constantly engage with one another: Given that current engagements are open-ended, Mullen posits that military strategy must be more constantly engaged with policy. "...war has never been a set-piece affair. The enemy adapts to your strategy and you adapt to his." He cites the review process which lead to the current Afghanistan escalation as a model of engagement between military leaders and policy makers.
[edit] Military awards
- U.S. Military decorations
- Non-U.S. decorations
 | Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation Ribbon |
 | Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation Ribbon |
 | NATO Medal for Former Yugoslavia |
 | Chilean National Order of Merit (Commander)[12] |
| Italian Defense General Staff Joint Forces Medal of Honor[13] |
- Badges
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ [1] 10 USC 152. Chairman: appointment; grade and rank
- ^ Dowd, Maureen (February 3, 2010). "Defending the Long Gay Line". The New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
- ^ COMMENTARY:We Can't Do It Alone
- ^ "Pace leaving as Joint Chiefs chairman". CNN. June 8, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-08.
- ^ White House Press Secretary (June 28, 2007). "President Bush Nominates Admiral Michael Mullen and General James Cartwright to Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff" (in English). Press release. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
- ^ "Senate confirms Mullen as new military chief". Reuters. August 4, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-04.
- ^ Gates Recommends New Terms, Positions for Senior Officers
- ^ "Mullen Confirmed to Second Term as Joint Chiefs Chairman". SENATUS. September 25, 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-25.
- ^ a b c d e "Nominee Mullen: Little political progress in Iraq". USA Today. August 1, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-04.
- ^ Mullen: Mumbai ‘crossed threshold’, Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), December 12, 2008.
- ^ Mullen, Mike. Landon Lecture Series Remarks, 03.03.10, Kansas State University.
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
[edit] External links
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Michael G. Mullen |
 | Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Michael Mullen |
- Official Joint Chiefs of Staff Web site
- Admiral Mike Mullen's Facebook Page
- Admiral Mike Mullen's Twitter Feed
- Chairman's YouTube Channel
- Chairman's Corner Blog
- "Joint Chiefs Nominee Had Hollywood Upbringing (on Mullen's parents)". Day to Day (audio). NPR. July 30, 2007.
- Mulrine, Anna (April 18, 2008). "Admiral Michael Mullen: A Navy Man Looks Out For The Army". U.S. News and World Report.
- Official Chairman of the Joint Chiefs biography (from Joint Chiefs of Staff Official Homepage)
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Vern Clark | United States Chief of Naval Operations 2005-2007 | Succeeded by Gary Roughead |
| Preceded by Peter Pace | Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 2007– | Succeeded by Incumbent |
| |||
| |||
![[2]](http://www.chile-usa.org/images/mullen1.jpg){kind=link}