Vice Admiral William Douglas Crowder (born 1952)
retired from 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 ...
in November 2009 after serving as the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Operations, Plans and Strategy (N3/N5). Crowder was the 45th commander of the
United States 7th Fleet
The Seventh Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It is headquartered at U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is part of the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of ...
.
Career
The son of a navy
master chief and
quartermaster
Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In m ...
, Crowder received a congressional appointment to the
United States 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 ...
, where he graduated in June 1974.
At sea, Crowder has served in numerous ships in both Pacific and Atlantic Fleets including: as CIC officer in , aft propulsion group officer in , combat systems officer in , and
executive officer
An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer, o ...
in .
He commanded from 1992–1994, operating in both the Pacific and Atlantic, winning the
Battle Efficiency "E" Award. In 1998-1999 he commanded
Destroyer Squadron 24, deploying to the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
as part of the
USS John F. Kennedy Battle Group. He also served as the aide and flag lieutenant to
Commander, Naval Surface Forces Atlantic
Commander, Naval Surface Force, Atlantic (COMNAVSURFLANT) is a post within the United States Fleet Forces Command. As Naval Surface Force Atlantic, it is a military formation, but the organization is often known as SURFLANT. Its headquarters are a ...
.
Ashore, Crowder has served a number of tours in
the Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metonym ...
including: as action officer on the staff of the
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 ...
, Strategy and Plans Division (OP-60);
Surface Warfare
Modern naval warfare is divided into four operational areas: surface warfare, air warfare, submarine warfare, and information warfare. Each area comprises specialized platforms and strategies used to exploit tactical advantages unique and inh ...
Analyst in the Office of Program Appraisal (
Office of Secretary of the Navy); Deputy Executive Assistant to the
Vice Chief of Naval Operations
The vice chief of naval operations (VCNO) is the second highest-ranking commissioned United States Navy officer in the Department of the Navy and functions as the principal deputy of the chief of naval operations and by statute, the vice chief ...
; Chief of the Planning and Integration Branch,
Joint Staff
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, that advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and ...
(J-8); Senior Staff of the
National Defense Panel; and as Executive Assistant to the Vice Chief of Naval Operations. He also served as Executive Assistant and Senior Naval Aide to the Commander-in-Chief
U.S. Pacific Fleet
The United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is a theater-level component command of the United States Navy, located in the Pacific Ocean. It provides naval forces to the Indo-Pacific Command. Fleet headquarters is at Joint Base Pearl Harbor� ...
.
Crowder commanded the U.S. 7th Fleet from September 2006 to July 2008. Prior to assuming that command, he was
ADCNO for Information, Plans, and Strategy (OPNAV N3/N5B) in August 2005. His previous Flag assignments were as director of Deep Blue, the Navy Operations Group, from August 2002 to May 2004, director of Operations, Plans and Political Military Affairs Division (N31/N52) from September 2001-October 2002 — both on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations. Additionally he served as commander of
Carrier Strike Group Nine
Carrier Strike Group 9 (CSG-9 or CARSTRKGRU 9) is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. Carrier strike groups gain and maintain sea control as well as project naval airpower ashore. Commander Carrier Strike Group 9 (COMCARSTRKGRU 9 or CCSG 9) is res ...
/''Abraham Lincoln'' Strike Group from July 2004 to August 2005 deploying to the western Pacific and serving as commander of
Combined Support Group Indonesia, as part of
Operation Unified Assistance (Tsunami Relief effort).
Awards and honors
Vice Admiral Crowder was selected as an
Olmsted Scholar and studied European Economic and Political Affairs at the
University of Lausanne
The University of Lausanne (UNIL; french: links=no, Université de Lausanne) in Lausanne, Switzerland was founded in 1537 as a school of Protestant theology, before being made a university in 1890. The university is the second oldest in Switz ...
, Switzerland from 1980-82. In November 1982, he was awarded the
Jean Monnet Medal for Leadership by the
President of the French Senate in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
.
Notes
External links
Official biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crowder, William
1952 births
Living people
United States Naval Academy alumni
United States Navy vice admirals
Recipients of the Legion of Merit
Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal
Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun