James Gerard Roche (born December 16, 1939) is an American politician. He served as the 20th

Secretary of the Air Force 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 ...

, serving from January 20, 2001 to January 20, 2005. Prior to serving as secretary, Roche served 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 ...

for 23 years, and as an executive with

Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense technology company. With 90,000 employees and an annual revenue in excess of $30 billion, it is one of the world's largest weapons manufacturers and military techn ...

Background

Roche was born in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. He served for 23 years in the

before retiring with the rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in 1983. As a naval officer, his assignments included Principal Deputy Director of the State Department's Policy Planning Staff; Senior Professional Staff Member of the

Senate Select Committee on Intelligence The United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (sometimes referred to as the Intelligence Committee or SSCI) is dedicated to overseeing the United States Intelligence Community—the agencies and bureaus of the federal government of ...

; and assistant director for the Defense Department's

Office of Net Assessment The United States Department of Defense's Office of Net Assessment (ONA) was created in 1973 by Richard Nixon to serve as the Pentagon's "internal think tank" that "looks 20 to 30 years into the military's future, often with the assistance of outsi ...

. He commanded USS ''Buchanan'', a guided missile destroyer, and was awarded the Arleigh Burke Fleet Trophy for the Navy's most improved combat unit in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

in 1974. Prior to this appointment, Secretary Roche held several executive positions with

Corp., including corporate vice president and president, Electronic Sensors and Systems Sector. Prior to joining Northrop Grumman in 1984, he was Democratic Staff Director of the

U.S. 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 powe ...

Armed Services Committee.

Secretary of the Air Force

Secretary Roche served as a member of the Secretary of Defense's Policy Board and was a member of the Council of Foreign Relations and the International Institute of Strategic Studies. Roche was awarded various campaign ribbons and military medals.

Ethics investigation

Roche was also cited for ethics violations regarding the Air Force's decision to

lease A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the user (referred to as the ''lessee'') to pay the owner (referred to as the ''lessor'') for the use of an asset. Property, buildings and vehicles are common assets that are leased. Industrial ...

KC-767 tanker aircraft. In 2003, during the Air Force's deliberations concerning the replacement of KC-135 aircraft, Ms. Robin Cleveland, Associate Director of National Security Programs, OMB, emailed Dr. Roche asking his assistance in gaining employment with Northrop Grumman Corporation (for which he had once been a senior executive) after she left her position with the government. Dr. Roche did so and replied to Ms. Cleveland telling her so. This was a DoD ethics violation. The investigation found that Roche had 'misused his office for public gain' and used government communications to do so, but made no recommendations for action.dodig.mil/foia/ERR, Alleged Misuse of Public Office: Dr. James G. Roche, Secretary of the Air Force, Case Number H04L94024201, January 27, 200

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld saw no reason to pursue the matter.

Education

*1960 Bachelor of Science degree in language, literature and philosophy,

Illinois Institute of Technology Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the merger of the Armour Institute and Lewis Institute in 1940. The university has prog ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

*1966 Master of Science degree with distinction in operations research, U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California *1972 Doctorate degree in business administration,

Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

*2002 Honorary Doctorate,

*2003 Honorary Doctorate, St. Thomas Aquinas College,

Sparkill, New York Sparkill, formerly known as Tappan Sloat, is a suburban hamlet and census-designated place in the Town of Orangetown, Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Palisades; east of Tappan; south of Piermont and west of the Hudson ...

Career chronology

*1960–1983, commissioned United States Navy officer, retiring with the rank of captain *1983–1984, Democratic Staff Director, Senate Armed Services Committee,

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

*1984–1989, vice president and director, Analysis Center, Northrop Grumman Corp., Washington, D.C. *1989–1991, vice president and special assistant to the chairman, president and chief executive officer, Northrop Grumman Corp.,

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

*1991–1992, vice president of Advanced Development and Planning, Northrop Grumman Corp., Los Angeles, California *1992–1996, Chief Advanced Development, Planning, and Public Affairs Officer, Northrop Grumman Corp., Los Angeles, California *1996–2001, corporate vice president and president, Electronic Sensors & Systems Sector, Northrop Grumman Corp.,

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

*2001–2005, Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, D.C.

Awards and honors

US Defense Superior Service Medal ribbon

Defense Superior Service Medal * Legion of Merit ribbon

Legion of Merit * Navy and Marine Corps Commendation ribbon

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 ...

Navy Expeditionary Medal The Navy Expeditionary Medal is a military award of the United States Navy which was established in August 1936. Award criteria The General Orders of the Department of the Navy which established the medal states, "The medal will be awarded, to ...

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces who has served during any one of four ...

Vietnam Service Medal The Vietnam Service Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces established on 8 July 1965 by order of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The medal is awarded to recognize service during the Vietnam War by all members of the U.S. Arm ...

US Navy Distinguished Public Service Award Ribbon-vector

United States Navy Distinguished Public Service Medal *2003 Department of the Army Distinguished Civilian Service Award *2003 Illinois Institute of Technology Professional Achievement Award *2003 U.S. Air Force Order of the Sword

References

External links

*
United States Government Departments and Offices
*. {{DEFAULTSORT:Roche, James G. Living people Illinois Institute of Technology alumni Harvard Business School alumni United States Navy officers United States Secretaries of the Air Force Recipients of the Legion of Merit People from Brooklyn People from Elgin, Illinois Military personnel from New York City 1939 births Recipients of the Order of the Sword (United States) Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award George W. Bush administration personnel George W. Bush administration controversies The Washington Institute for Near East Policy