Carlisle Albert Herman Trost (April 24, 1930 – September 29, 2020) 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 ...

officer who served as the 23rd Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) and a member of the

Joint Chiefs of 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 the ...

from July 1, 1986 to June 29, 1990. He oversaw the Navy during the end of the Cold War, and the preparations for the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

of 1991. He retired from active naval service on July 1, 1990, following completion of a four-year term as CNO.

Early life and education

Trost was born in

Valmeyer, Illinois __NOTOC__ Valmeyer is a village in Monroe County, Illinois, on the Mississippi River. The population was 1,263 at the 2010 United States Census. History After the Great Flood of 1993 the residents of Valmeyer decided to relocate the town tw ...

, on April 24, 1930. Trost graduated first in his

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 ...

class of 1953 and was commissioned as an ensign.

Career

Trost volunteered and was accepted to begin submarine training in 1954 and once again graduated first in his class from Submarine School in

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decade ...

. During his more than thirty-seven years of commissioned service, Trost served at sea in destroyers and diesel-powered and

nuclear Nuclear may refer to: Physics Relating to the nucleus of the atom: * Nuclear engineering *Nuclear physics *Nuclear power *Nuclear reactor *Nuclear weapon *Nuclear medicine *Radiation therapy *Nuclear warfare Mathematics *Nuclear space *Nuclear ...

submarines, including tours as executive officer of two nuclear-powered submarines and as commanding officer of a

Fleet Ballistic Missile A submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) is a ballistic missile capable of being launched from submarines. Modern variants usually deliver multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), each of which carries a nuclear warhead a ...

submarine. After selection to

flag rank A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which the officer exercises command. The term is used differently in different countries: *In many countries ...

in 1973, Trost commanded Submarine Flotilla One/Submarine Group FIVE. Later operational assignments included deputy commander,

United States 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� ...

; commander,

Seventh 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 ...

(1980–1981); Commander-in-Chief,

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(1985–1986), and deputy commander,

United States Atlantic Command United States Atlantic Command (acronym from 1947-1993 USLANTCOM, after 1993 USACOM) was a Unified Combatant Command of the United States Department of Defense. In 1999, U.S. Atlantic Command was renamed and given a new mission as United State ...

. Trost served as military assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, executive assistant to the Secretary of the Navy, and on the Navy Staff as Director, Systems Analysis Division, Assistant Chief of Naval Personnel and Director, Navy Program Planning. In May 1986, Trost was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to succeed Admiral James D. Watkins as Chief of Naval Operations (CNO).Gordon, ''New York Times'', May 1986.Halloran, ''New York Times'', May 1986. Trost served as CNO from July 1, 1986 to June 29, 1990. He was succeeded by Admiral Frank B. Kelso.

Awards and decorations

Trost was an Olmsted Scholar. He was active in the

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded ...

as an adult, an

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle S ...

and recipient of the

Distinguished Eagle Scout Award The Distinguished Eagle Scout Award (DESA) is a distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). It is awarded to an Eagle Scout for distinguished service in his profession and to his community for a period of at least 25 years aft ...

Organizational affiliations

Trost was recognized as a distinguished graduate of the United States Naval Academy and also served on the board of directors of the Alumni Association, as well as President of the Class of '53. A classmate and another past President of the Class of '53 was the late Texas businessman and former presidential candidate H. Ross Perot.

Post-naval career

Since his retirement from the Navy, Trost served on the boards of directors of a number of corporations. He served as Chairman of the Board of the United States Naval Academy Alumni Association in a term that ended in Spring 2009. Trost died on September 29, 2020 at the age of 90.Adm. Carlisle A. H. Trost, 23rd Chief of Naval Operations, Passes Away
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Notes

References

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External links

the magazine of the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation.
Carlisle Trost's obituary
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Trost, Carlisle A.H. 1930 births 2020 deaths Burials at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery Chiefs of Naval Operations Joint Chiefs of Staff Military personnel from Illinois People from Monroe County, Illinois Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy admirals United States submarine commanders Recipients of the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Humanitarian Service Medal