Vice Admiral Robert Thomas Conway Jr., is a retired
officer
An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...
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 retired from active service on 1 April 2009. His last assignment was commander of Navy Installations Command, Washington D.C., where he led a startup organization of 18 navy admirals and senior executives, 60,000 military staff, government employees and contractors, in the management of 80 navy bases worldwide.
He previously served in various leadership positions at sea aboard numerous combatant vessels, including
USS ''Vesole'' (DD-878),
USS ''Towers'' (DDG-9),
USS ''Bainbridge'' (CGN-25),
USS ''Gridley'' (CG-21), and
USS ''John Young'' (DD-973). Ashore, Vice Admiral Conway's assignments included Naval Facility Cape Hatteras, Buxton, N.C.; Officer Candidate School, Newport, R.I.; Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, D.C.; Bureau of Naval Personnel Washington, D.C. & Millington, Tenn; Operational Test and Evaluation Force Pacific, Coronado, Calif.
Background
Born in
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre ( or ) is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Luzerne County. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It is the s ...
, and a 1972 graduate of
Saint Francis University
Saint Francis University (SFU) is a private Catholic university in Loretto, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1847 and conducted under the tradition of the Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular. The university is situated on in the fore ...
, Loretto, Pennsylvania. Vice Admiral Conway graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and joined the navy through Officer Candidate School, and was commissioned as an Ensign the same year. He went on to receive his master's degree from Providence University, Providence, Rhode Island. He also is a graduate of the National Defense University's, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Washington, D.C. as well as numerous business and leaderships schools.
His assignments have been varied and include seven operational commands; Conway has commanded USS John Young (DD-973); Destroyer Squadron 7; Expeditionary Strike Group 1; Navy Region Hawaii; Naval Surface Forces Middle Pacific; and Task Force WARRIOR. Prior to his retirement, he served as commander of Naval Installations Command at the Washington Navy Yard; Washington, D.C.
He is currently president of his own consulting company: R.T. Conway & Associates Inc, of Delray Beach, Florida, specializing in Critical Infrastructure, Renewable Energy, Port Security, Operations and Information Technology.
Decorations
Throughout his many years of dedicated service to the navy, Conway received several decorations, including:
*
Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation.
Examples include:
*Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action
* Distinguishe ...
*
Defense Superior Service Medal
*
Legion of Merit (6 awards)
*
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 ...
(4 awards)
*
Navy Commendation Medal
The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...
(2 awards)
*Various Campaign and Unit Awards.
References
US Navy Biographies: Vice Admiral Robert T. Conway, Jr.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conway, Robert Thomas, Jr.
Living people
United States Navy officers
Saint Francis University alumni
Providence College alumni
Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy alumni
Joint Chiefs of Staff
People from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Year of birth missing (living people)
Recipients of the Legion of Merit
Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal
Military personnel from Pennsylvania