Vice Admiral (ret.) Arthur Karl Cebrowski (August 13, 1942 – November 12, 2005) was 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 ...

admiral. He also who served from October 2001 to January 2005 as Director of the

Office of Force Transformation The United States Department of Defense Office of Force Transformation (OFT) was established October 29, 2001 in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld called for the creation of this new office to support his ...

in the

U.S. Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secur ...

. In this position, he was responsible for serving as an advocate, focal point, and catalyst for the transformation of the United States military.

Early life and naval career

Cebrowski was born in Passaic, New Jersey to a Polish American family. He was a 1964 graduate of

Villanova University Villanova University is a private Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Augustinians in 1842 and named after Saint Thomas of Villanova. The university is the oldest Catholic university in Penns ...

, held a master's degree in computer systems management from the Naval Postgraduate School and attended 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 ...

. He entered the navy through the

Reserve Officers Training Corps The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. Overview While ROTC graduate officers serve in all ...

in 1964.

Cebrowski was a naval aviator and commanded Fighter Squadron 41 (

VF-41 Fighter Squadron 41 or VF-41 was an aviation unit of the United States Navy. Originally established as VF-75A on 1 June 1945, redesignated as VF-75 on 1 August 1945, redesignated as VF-3B on 15 November 1946, redesignated as VF-41 on 1 September 19 ...

) and

Carrier Air Wing 8 Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8), is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia. The air wing is attached to the aircraft carrier Mission To conduct carrier air warfare operations and assist in the ...

. He commanded the assault ship USS ''Guam'', the aircraft carrier USS ''Midway'', and the USS ''America'' Battle Group. In December 1993, as a RADM(L), he was commanding Carrier Group 6. He had combat experience in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

and

Desert Storm The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

. His joint assignments included service as the Director, Command, Control, Communications and Computers (J-6), Joint Staff. Admiral Cebrowski retired from the Navy on October 1, 2001, with over 37 years of service, after serving as the

President of the Naval War College The president of the Naval War College is a flag officer in the United States Navy. The President's House in Newport, Rhode Island is their official residence. The office of the president was created along with the Naval War College as a whol ...

in Newport,

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

Office of Force Transformation

The Secretary of Defense called for the creation of the Office of Force Transformation in support of President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

's broad mandate to transform the nation's military capabilities. The transformation was intended to challenge the status quo with new concepts for American defense to ensure an overwhelming and continuing competitive advantage for America's military for decades to come. Cebrowski was appointed by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, effective October 29, 2001, reporting directly to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense. As Director of Force Transformation, Admiral Cebrowski worked to link transformation to strategic functions, evaluated the transformation efforts of the military departments, and promoted synergy by recommending steps to integrate ongoing transformation activities. Among his primary responsibilities, Admiral Cebrowski monitored service and joint experimentation programs and made policy recommendations to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense. Vice Admiral Cebrowski died on November 12, 2005, aged 63. He was buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

on January 9, 2006.

References

External links

Biography from the Office of Force Transformation
by Margaret Holland Sargent
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cebrowski, Arthur K. 1942 births 2005 deaths American people of Polish descent People from Passaic, New Jersey Villanova University alumni United States Naval Aviators United States Navy personnel of the Vietnam War Naval Postgraduate School alumni United States Navy personnel of the Gulf War United States Navy vice admirals Presidents of the Naval War College United States Department of Defense officials Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Military personnel from New Jersey 20th-century American academics

Early life and naval career

Office of Force Transformation

See also

References

External links