The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight uniformed services of the United States as well as to military and political figures of foreign governments.
The United States Secretary of Defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense,the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces,and is a high-ranking member of the federal cabinet. The secretary of defense's position of command and authority over the military is second only to that of the president of the United States,who is the commander-in-chief. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a defense minister in many other countries. The secretary of defense is appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate,and is by custom a member of the Cabinet and by law a member of the National Security Council.
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 version existing for acts of joint military service performed under the Department of Defense.
The Joint Meritorious Unit Award (JMUA) is a US military award that was established on June 4,1981,by Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and was implemented by Department of Defense Directive 1348.27 dated July 22,1982. The Joint Meritorious Unit Award was made retroactive to January 23,1979.
The Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) is a military award presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves with outstanding meritorious achievement or service to the United States.
Rear Admiral Robert Dunham Reilly Jr. was a United States Navy Surface Warfare Flag Officer who retired from active duty in January 2010 after 34-plus years of military service. His last assignment was as the 24th commander of the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command (MSC).
Executive Schedule is the system of salaries given to the highest-ranked appointed officials in the executive branch of the U.S. government. The president of the United States appoints individuals to these positions,most with the advice and consent of the United States Senate. They include members of the president's Cabinet,several top-ranking officials of each executive department,the directors of some of the more prominent departmental and independent agencies,and several members of the Executive Office of the President.
Mark Howard Buzby is a retired United States Navy rear admiral who served as the Administrator of the United States Maritime Administration. He retired from the Navy in 2013 and joined Carnival Cruise Line's Safety &Reliability Review Board. Buzby was nominated to be MARAD Administrator in June 2017 by President Donald Trump,and confirmed to the position by the United States Senate on August 3,2017. He resigned from the post on January 11,2021,along with Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao,to protest the 2021 United States Capitol attack.
James Edwin McPherson is an American government official and retired United States Navy rear admiral. He served as the General Counsel of the Army from January 2,2018,to March 24,2020. He served as the United States Under Secretary of the Army from March 25,2020,to January 20,2021,and in acting capacity from July 23,2019,to March 24,2020. He served as Acting United States Secretary of the Navy from April 7,2020,to May 29,2020,following the resignation of Thomas Modly.
Rear Admiral Joan Marie Engel held the position as the 18th Director of the Navy Nurse Corps from September 1994 to August 1998. She concurrently served as deputy commander for personnel management in the Health Sciences,Education and Training Command,and later as assistant chief for Education,Training and Personnel.
Rear Admiral Linda Jeanne Bird,SC,USN,was the first woman in the United States Navy Supply Corps promoted to flag rank.
Elizabeth Ann Hight is a retired United States Navy rear admiral who served as the vice director of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). She assumed this post in December 2007. In 2008,she was nominated for appointment to the grade of vice admiral and assignment as director,Defense Information Systems Agency;commander,Joint Task Force –Global Network Operations;and deputy commander,U.S. Strategic Command Global Network Operations and Defense,Arlington,Virginia. Her nomination was rejected by the Senate due to a perceived conflict of interest with her husband,retired Air Force Brigadier General Gary Salisbury,who is vice president of business development and sales for Northrop Grumman Corp.'s mission systems sector,defense mission systems division. She retired from the Navy in 2010.
David Peter Pekoske is an American government official and retired U.S. Coast Guard vice admiral who has served as the seventh administrator of the Transportation Security Administration in the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) since 2017. He served as the acting deputy secretary of Homeland Security from April to November 2019 and again from January to June 2021. From January 20,2021 to February 2,2021 he served as acting secretary of homeland security,during the Senate confirmation of Alejandro Mayorkas. Pekoske retired with 33 years of active military service in 2010 as the 26th vice commandant of the Coast Guard.
Rear Adm. Jonathan Alex Yuen is a retired American admiral,who last served as the 47th Chief of Supply Corps and Commander of the Naval Supply Systems Command.
David S. Jonas is a United States Marine,lawyer,and government official who is currently a partner at Fluet,Huber &Hoang. In 2017,he was nominated by President Donald Trump to become General Counsel at the United States Department of Energy,but Jonas withdrew from consideration in January 2018. He served for twenty years in the United States Marine Corps. During the administration of George W. Bush,Jonas served as The Pentagon's nuclear nonproliferation planner for the Joint Chiefs of Staff prior to becoming General Counsel of the National Nuclear Security Administration and the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. He was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal for his work with the Joint Chiefs from 1997 to 2001.
Anthony Michael Kurta is a retired United States Navy Rear Admiral and government official. Having served as the Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness for most of 2017,he was President Donald Trump's nominee to become Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. Kurta previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Personnel Policy and Director of Navy Flag Officer Management and Development.
Edward Masso is a businessman and retired United States Navy Rear Admiral who was nominated by President Donald Trump to become the next United States Ambassador to Estonia. He is the founder and president of Flagship Connection,a consulting company focused on business development,strategic planning,and operations analysis in the areas of missile defense,cyber security,and data analytics. During his 32-year career in the U.S. Navy,he held nine command assignments,including Commander,Navy Personnel Command/Deputy Chief of Naval Personnel. He has served in NATO and the United States European Command. Masso is a senior fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies in cyber security.
Jon Christopher Kreitz is a retired United States Navy Rear Admiral and former Deputy Director of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. He is an Independent Director on the Board of Directors of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and a member of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the Surface Navy Association (SNA).
Kelly A. Aeschbach is a retired United States Navy vice admiral who last served as the commander of Naval Information Forces from 2021 to 2024. Before that,she served as Director of the National Maritime Intelligence-Integration Office and Commander of the Office of Naval Intelligence. and prior to that as Deputy Director of Intelligence for United States Forces –Afghanistan.
R. Timothy Ziemer is an American retired naval officer. He was a U.S. Navy helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War,commanded several squadrons and an air wing during the First Gulf War,and completed his Navy career as commander of the Navy's Mid-Atlantic Region,with the rank of rear admiral. After retiring he became an expert in global disaster response and health threats. He led the President's Malaria Initiative from 2006 until 2017,then joined the National Security Council as the director in charge of global health security and biothreats,serving until May 8,2018,when the position was abolished by the Trump administration.
Rear Admiral 