John Michael Richardson (born April 8, 1960) is a retired

four-star admiral Military star ranking is military terminology, used to describe general and flag officers. Within NATO's armed forces, the stars are equal to OF-6–10. Star ranking One–star A one–star rank is usually the lowest ranking general or flag ...

in the

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 ...

who previously served as the 31st

Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the professional head of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the secretary of the Navy. In a separate capacity as a memb ...

. He served as the Director of the

Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program Naval Reactors (NR), also known as the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, is an umbrella term for the U.S. government office that has comprehensive responsibility for the safe and reliable operation of the United States Navy's nuclear propulsion p ...

from November 2, 2012 to August 14, 2015. While serving as Director of Naval Nuclear Propulsion (itself a joint Department of Energy and Department of Navy organization), Richardson was responsible for the command and safe, reliable operation of the United States Navy's

nuclear propulsion Nuclear propulsion includes a wide variety of propulsion methods that use some form of nuclear reaction as their primary power source. The idea of using nuclear material for propulsion dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. In 1903 it was ...

program and for all the current

United States naval reactors United States naval reactors are nuclear reactors used by the United States Navy aboard certain ships to generate the steam used to produce power for propulsion, electric power, catapulting airplanes in aircraft carriers, and a few more minor ...

deployed for usage as well as all facilities needed to ensure safe operations. On May 13, 2015,

United States Secretary of Defense The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense, the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a high ranking member of the federal cabinet. DoDD 5100.1: Enclosure 2: a The s ...

, Ashton Carter, announced Richardson's nomination to succeed Admiral Jonathan Greenert as

. Richardson served as the 31st Chief of Naval Operations from September 18, 2015 to August 22, 2019. On October 25, 2019,

Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...

announced that Richardson had been elected to its Board of Directors as a member of the Aerospace Safety Committee and the Special Programs Committee. In November 2019, Richardson was named as a Senior Fellow at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.

Early life and education

Born on April 8, 1960 in Petersburg, Virginia, Richardson was commissioned into the

upon his graduation from 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 ...

Annapolis, Maryland in 1982.

Naval career

During his naval career, Richardson has served primarily with

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

operations, serving on , , and . Prior to being Director of Nuclear Propulsion, Richardson was Commander, Naval Submarine Forces (COMSUBFOR), where he was relieved by

Michael J. Connor Michael J. Connor, is a retired United States Navy Vice Admiral. Connor held several, concurrent titles during his last assignment including Commander, United States Submarine Forces ( COMNAVSUBFOR), Commander, Submarine Forces Atlantic (COMSUBL ...

. Richardson has also commanded , Submarine Development Squadron 12,

Submarine Group 8 A submarine squadron (SUBRON) is a naval formation or unit in such states such as the United Kingdom, United States, and Russia/Soviet Union. In France the equivalent unit is the ' (ESNA), part of the French submarine forces (and before the Second ...

, and Submarine Allied Naval Forces South. Richardson served as the Chief of Staff for

U.S. Naval Forces Europe United States Naval Forces Europe and Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF), is the United States Navy component command of the United States European Command and United States Africa Command. Prior to 2020, NAVEUR-NAVAF was previously referred to as United States ...

as well as U.S. Naval Forces Africa, Naval Aide to the President of the United States and Director of Strategy and Policy at U.S. Joint Forces Command. Richardson also attended and received master's degrees from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

, the

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI, acronym pronounced ) is a private, nonprofit research and higher education facility dedicated to the study of marine science and engineering. Established in 1930 in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, it i ...

, and the

National War College The National War College (NWC) of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National War Colle ...

Chief of Naval Operations

On May 13, 2015, Richardson was nominated by President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

to be the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), was confirmed August 5, and began serving as CNO on September 18, 2015. In this capacity, Richardson made several trips to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, in an effort to reduce tension between the United States and Chinese military over naval operations conducted by both countries in the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...

. On 22 August 2019, Richardson was succeeded by Admiral

Michael M. Gilday Michael Martin Gilday (born October 10, 1962) is a United States Navy officer who has served as the 32nd Chief of Naval Operations, chief of naval operations since August 22, 2019. Gilday has commanded two Destroyer, destroyers, served as Directo ...

as the 32nd Chief of Naval Operations.

Awards and decorations

In 2001, Richardson received the Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale Award for Inspirational Leadership.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, John M. 1960 births Chiefs of Naval Operations Living people National War College alumni Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Order of Naval Merit (Brazil) Recipients of the Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale Award for Inspirational Leadership United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy admirals United States submarine commanders Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal