Jeffrey William Hughes (born 1966) is a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

vice admiral who served as the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfighting Development of the

from 2021 to 2024.

Early life

Hughes was raised in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

.United states Navy Biography: "Rear Admiral Jeffrey W. Hughes, Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 2
retrieved September 30, 2017 In 1988, he graduated with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

in mechanical engineering from Duke University and then graduated with distinction with a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

in national security and strategic studies 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 associ ...

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New Yor ...

, with full Joint Professional Military Education credit.

Naval career

In September 1989, Hughes was designated a naval aviator, flying

MH-60R The Sikorsky SH-60/MH-60 Seahawk (or Sea Hawk) is a twin turboshaft engine, multi-mission United States Navy helicopter based on the United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk and a member of the Sikorsky S-70 family. The most significant modificat ...

and

SH-60B Seahawk The Sikorsky SH-60/MH-60 Seahawk (or Sea Hawk) is a twin turboshaft engine, multi-mission United States Navy helicopter based on the United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk and a member of the Sikorsky S-70 family. The most significant modificatio ...

helicopters. He served as squadron and detachment officer with the Swamp Foxes of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 44 where he deployed on the , the and the in support of Strike Group deployments with the and . In 1993, Hughes was named HSL-44 (now

HSM-74 Helicopter Maritime Strike Seven Four (HSM-74), the "Swamp Foxes", is a United States Navy helicopter squadron based at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida. HSM-74 is attached to Carrier Air Wing Three and deploys aboard cruiser ...

) Pilot of the Year and was the co-recipient of the Commanding Officer's Helmsman Award. Hughes served as the flag lieutenant to commander for Carrier Group 4 on all six East Coast aircraft carriers. He then served as the executive officer and the 14th commanding officer of the Fighting Vipers of HSL-48 (now HSM-48). In 2007, he received the

Helicopter Maritime Strike Wing This is a list of active United States Navy aircraft squadrons. ''Deactivated'' or ''disestablished'' squadrons are listed in the List of inactive United States Navy aircraft squadrons. Navy aircraft squadrons are composed of several aircraft (fr ...

, United States Atlantic Fleet Navy and Marine Association peer-selected leadership award. He also served as the commander,

, United States Pacific Fleet. In his first flag assignment, he served as the commander, Navy Recruiting Command. On July 21, 2017, he was appointed as commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 2. On September 24, 2017, Hughes' command, Expeditionary Strike Group Kearsarge which included the

amphibious assault ship An amphibious assault ship is a type of amphibious warfare ship employed to land and support ground forces on enemy territory by an amphibious assault. The design evolved from aircraft carriers converted for use as helicopter carriers (and, a ...

and the

dock landing ship A dock landing ship (also called landing ship, dock or LSD) is an amphibious warfare ship with a well dock to transport and launch landing craft and amphibious vehicles. Some ships with well decks, such as the Soviet Ivan Rogov class, also hav ...

along with the 2,400 marines of

26th Marine Expeditionary Unit The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (26th MEU) is one of seven such units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. It is an air-ground task force with a strength of about 2,400 personnel when at full strength during a deployment. ...

, deployed off the coast of Puerto Rico to coordinate naval relief efforts after

Hurricane Maria Hurricane Maria was a deadly Category 5 hurricane that devastated the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017, particularly Dominica, Saint Croix, and Puerto Rico. It is regarded as the worst natural disaster in recorded history to affect ...

.Washington Post: "Puerto Rico governor: ‘We still need some more help’ from Washington" by Ed O'Keefe
September 24, 2017Stars & Stripes: "Military conducting multiple operations to help Hurricane Maria-struck Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands" By Corey Dickstein
September 25, 2017 The ships had previously been prepositioned to the south of the island to assist in the recovery efforts once the hurricane had passed. In March 2018, Hughes assumed command of Navy Personnel Command and became Deputy Chief of Naval Personnel. On November 12, 2020, he was nominated for promotion to vice admiral and assignment as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfighting Development. On December 14, 2020, his nomination was confirmed by voice vote of the full

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

. In May 2023, he was nominated for assignment as the deputy chief of staff for capability development of

Allied Command Transformation Allied Command Transformation (ACT) (French: ''Commandement allié Transformation'') is a military command of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), formed in 2003 after restructuring. It was intended to lead military transformation of ...

. Hughes' decorations include the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit (four awards), and the

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: * Meritorious Civilian Service Award *Meritorious Service Me ...

(two awards).

References

, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Jeffrey W. 1966 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Duke University Pratt School of Engineering alumni United States Naval Aviators Naval War College alumni Recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United States) Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Navy admirals Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal