John W. "Fozzie" Miller is a retired United States Navy Vice Admiral who last served as Commander,

U.S. Naval Forces Central Command United States Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) is the United States Navy element of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM). Its area of responsibility includes the Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, Persian Gulf, and Arabian Sea. It consists of the ...

/Commander,

U.S. Fifth Fleet The Fifth Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It has been responsible for naval forces in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and parts of the Indian Ocean since 1995 after a 48-year hiatus. It shares a commander and headq ...

, based in

Manama, Bahrain Manama ( ar, المنامة ', Bahrani pronunciation: ) is the capital and largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 200,000 people as of 2020. Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is home to a very di ...

. Prior to assuming the duties of NAVCENT/C5F, Miller was special assistant to the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Operations, Plans, and Strategy (N3/N5) in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

He has also served as NAVCENT deputy commander.

Biography

Early life

He graduated from the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associat ...

and received a master's degree in International Relations from

Salve Regina University Salve Regina University is a private Roman Catholic university in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It was founded in 1934 by the Sisters of Mercy and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. The university enrolls mo ...

Military career

He was commissioned an

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

upon graduating from the

U.S. Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of ...

in 1979, and received his

Naval Flight Officer A naval flight officer (NFO) is a commissioned officer in the United States Navy or United States Marine Corps who specializes in airborne weapons and sensor systems. NFOs are not pilots (naval aviators), but they may perform many "co-pilot" or ...

designation in 1980, after which he reported to

VF-101 Strike Fighter Squadron 101 (VFA-101), also known as the "Grim Reapers", was a United States Navy Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) based at Eglin AFB, Florida. After the West Coast FRS for the F-14 Tomcat, VF-124, was disestablished in the mid-199 ...

for training in the

F-14A Tomcat The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program after t ...

. His sea duty includes tours as a division officer in

VF-31 VFA-31 or Strike Fighter Squadron 31 is known as the ''Tomcatters'', callsign "Felix", a United States Navy strike fighter squadron stationed at Naval Air Station Oceana flying the F/A-18E Super Hornet. The Tomcatters are the second oldest Navy Fig ...

; maintenance officer at

VF-84 Fighter Squadron 84 or VF-84 was an aviation unit of the United States Navy. Originally established on 1 May 1944, it was disestablished on 8 October 1945. It was the first US Navy squadron to be designated as VF-84. Operational history VF-84 flew ...

; and six command tours:

VF-142 VF-142 ''Ghostriders'' was a US Navy Fighter aircraft, fighter squadron (aviation), squadron established on 24 August 1948 as VF-193, it was redesignated VF-142 on 15 October 1963, and disestablished on 30 April 1995. History Late 1940s to the 19 ...

;

; USS ''Dubuque''; USS ''Juneau''; USS ''Constellation'', as her final commanding officer; and USS ''John F. Kennedy''. As a flag officer, Miller also commanded

Carrier Strike Group 11 Carrier Strike Group 11 (CSG-11 or CARSTRKGRU 11) is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. Carrier strike groups gain and maintain sea control as well as project naval airpower ashore. The aircraft carrier is the strike group's current flagship. O ...

. Ashore, he has served as an instructor at VF-101; leadership section head at the Naval Academy; a White House Fellowship as special assistant to the NASA Administrator; and aviation commander assignment officer at the Bureau of Naval Personnel. Since being promoted to flag rank, Miller has had particular focus on the CENTCOM area of responsibility, serving as deputy commander of NAVCENT/Fifth Fleet; deputy director, Strategy, Plans, and Policy (J5); and as CENTCOM chief of staff. He has also commanded the US Navy Strike and Air Warfare Center.

Retirement and Later Work

Miller was named to the position of Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Plans, Policy, and Operations (N3/N5) in March 2014. However, his planned successor was unable to assume the Commander Fifth Fleet/Naval Forces Central Command role due to being under investigation as part of the

Fat Leonard scandal The Fat Leonard scandal is an ongoing investigation and prosecution of corruption within the United States Navy during the 2000s and 2010s. It has involved ship support contractor Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA), a Thai subsidiary of the Glenn Ma ...

, one of several flag officers not involved in the scandal who had transfers and promotions delayed due to the investigations. Miller retired from the Navy in 2015. Since retirement, he was worked with the

Middle East Institute The Middle East Institute (MEI) is a non-profit, non-partisan think tank and cultural center in Washington, D.C., founded in 1946. It seeks to "increase knowledge of the Middle East among the United States citizens and promote a better understan ...

and the

American Enterprise Institute The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, known simply as the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), is a center-right Washington, D.C.–based think tank that researches government, politics, economics, and social welfare. ...

. He was also named as a non-resident senior fellow for the

Atlantic Council The Atlantic Council is an American think tank in the field of international affairs, favoring Atlanticism, founded in 1961. It manages sixteen regional centers and functional programs related to international security and global economic prosp ...

working on their Gulf Security Task Force and as an associate fellow for Strategy, Technology and Arms Control at the

International Institute for Strategic Studies The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is a British research institute or think tank in the area of international affairs. Since 1997, its headquarters have been Arundel House in London, England. The 2017 Global Go To Think T ...

. As a member of the Gulf Security Task Force, Miller published a detailed report on strategies for improving Gulf security. In addition to his work with various think tanks, Miller has served as a Foundation Trustee for the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

and as a Highly Qualified Expert and Senior Mentor to the

U.S. Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associat ...

, providing advice and expertise to the U.S. Navy on a wide range of operational and educational subjects.

Awards and decorations

Vice Admiral Miller has amassed over 3,500 flight hours and 1,000 arrested landings from six different carriers. His awards include:

References