Mark Howard Buzby (born October 6, 1956) is a retired

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 ...

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

who served as the Administrator of the United States Maritime Administration. He retired from the Navy in 2013 and joined Carnival Cruise Line's Safety & Reliability Review Board. Buzby was nominated to be MARAD Administrator in June 2017 by President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

, and confirmed to the position by the

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 ...

on August 3, 2017. He resigned from the post on January 11, 2021, along with

Secretary of Transportation A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a wh ...

Elaine Chao, to protest the 2021 United States Capitol attack.

Early life and education

Born in

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

, Buzby grew up in nearby Linwood. Buzby graduated from

Admiral Farragut Academy Admiral Farragut Academy, established in 1933, is a private, College-preparatory school, college-prep school serving students in grades K–12, K-12. Farragut is located in St. Petersburg, Florida in Pinellas County and is surrounded by the comm ...

(North) in 1975. He is also a 1979 graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy, where he earned his

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 of ...

degree in Nautical Science and his

U.S. Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, multi ...

Third Mate License. He was commissioned in June 1979. He is also a graduate of the

Joint Forces Staff College The Joint Forces Staff College (JFSC), located in Norfolk, Virginia, was established as the Armed Forces Staff College in 1946 and incorporated into the National Defense University in August 1981. It educates and acculturates joint and multinat ...

and holds master's degrees from the U.S. Naval War College and

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 ...

in Strategic Studies and International Relations.

Career

Buzby relieved Rear Admiral Robert D. Reilly Jr. as Commander of the

Military Sealift Command Military Sealift Command (MSC) is an organization that controls the replenishment and military transport ships of the United States Navy. Military Sealift Command has the responsibility for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all US m ...

(MSC) on October 16, 2009, and served in the position for about 3.5 years. On May 10, 2013, Buzby was relieved by Rear Admiral (select) Thomas K. Shannon and retired from 34 years of service."Military Sealift Command Holds Change of Command"
By Military Sealift Command Public Affairs (Story Number: NNS130510-06) Retrieved May 12, 2013. As a surface warfare officer, Buzby made numerous deployments aboard cruisers and destroyers including: , , , and . Buzby commanded the destroyer through the ship's first Mediterranean-Persian Gulf deployment. Following this tour, Buzby returned to sea as United States Sixth Fleet assistant operations officer, and participated in combat operations as part of

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

’s Operation Allied Force in

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

. He then assumed command of Destroyer Squadron 31 as the sea combat commander for the Abraham Lincoln Battle Group during two deployments in support of Operations Southern Watch and Enduring Freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan, respectively. Ashore, Buzby has served on the Navy staff as the Point Defense Anti-Air Warfare section head for Surface Warfare Division and as

Aegis Combat System The Aegis Combat System is an American integrated naval weapons system developed by the Missile and Surface Radar Division of RCA, and it is now produced by Lockheed Martin. Initially used by the United States Navy, Aegis is now used also by t ...

development officer. Early joint experience was on the Joint Staff, Joint Operations Division as an operations officer and chairman's briefer. He was the 16th commanding officer of Surface Warfare Officers School command. Buzby took command of Joint Task Force Guantanamo in May 2007 and was relieved by Admiral

David M. Thomas Jr. David M. Thomas (born 1958) is a former senior officer in the United States Navy. Early life Thomas's father was a career Navy officer. Thomas, and three of his brothers, are graduates of the United States Naval Academy. All are retired, i ...

in 2008. As a flag officer, Buzby has served on the Navy staff as deputy for Surface Ships, deputy for Surface Warfare and deputy for Expeditionary Warfare. He has also served as commander, Joint Task Force Guantanamo, and most recently as deputy chief of Staff for Global Force Management and Joint Operations, United States Fleet Forces Command. Buzby served as the commander of the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command from October 2009 to March 2013. Buzby's personal awards include the

Defense Superior Service Medal The Defense Superior Service Medal (DSSM) is a military decoration of the United States Department of Defense, which is presented to United States Armed Forces service members who perform superior meritorious service in a position of significant ...

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

(four awards),

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (five awards) and various other unit and campaign awards.

Awards and decorations

Surface Warfare Officer insignia The surface warfare insignia is a military badge of the United States Navy which is issued to U.S. Navy personnel who are trained and qualified to perform duties aboard United States surface warships. There are presently four classes of the surf ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buzby, Mark H. United States Merchant Marine Academy alumni Admiral Farragut Academy alumni Living people 1956 births United States Navy rear admirals (upper half) Guantanamo Bay detention camp Trump administration personnel People from Atlantic City, New Jersey People from Linwood, New Jersey United States Department of Transportation officials