Jon Christopher Kreitz [1] (born December 18, 1963) [2] [3] 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). [4]
A native of Orange County, California, Rear Adm. Jon Kreitz attended Capistrano Valley High School where he was known by his middle name Chris. Immediately upon graduating in 1982, [5] he enlisted in the U.S. Navy in May 1982 as a Machinist’s Mate. After a tour on board the USS Nassau (LHA 4), he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Physics and received a commission through the NROTC program at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He holds a Master of Science Degree in Physics from the Naval Postgraduate School in 1992 [6] and a Master of Military Art and Science Degree in Strategy from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. He is a graduate of the National Defense University (NDU) CAPSTONE course for Flag and General Officers, and he was a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Seminar XXI Foreign Affairs and National Security Policy Fellow.
Kreitz has also served at sea on the USS Bunker Hill (CG-52), USS Mitscher (DDG-57), and USS Enterprise (CVN-65) prior to commanding the USS Stephen W. Groves (FFG-29), where his crew interdicted nearly 20 metric tons of cocaine during two counter narco-terrorism operations deployments. He also commanded USS New York (LPD-21) for her maiden deployment, earning a Battle ‘E’ Award and the 2013 Atlantic Fleet Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award as the most battle ready ship in the Atlantic Fleet.
Ashore, he has served as a Branch Head and as the Executive Assistant to the Director for Manpower, Personnel and Administration at Headquarters, Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command. He has served three tours on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV), once as the strategy and requirements Branch Head for the Director of Surface Warfare (OPNAV N86), and twice in the Office of the Chief of Navy Reserve (OPNAV N095) including duty as Executive Assistant to the Chief of Navy Reserve. He served as the Chief of Staff and Senior Military Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. He also served as the Executive Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
Kreitz’ first flag officer tour was as the 66th President, Board of Inspection and Survey, where he was responsible for assessing the material readiness of the fleet. His final assignment was as the Deputy Director for Operations of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency where he led record increases in the return of Americans missing from past conflicts. He retired from the U.S. Navy in December 2019 after over 37 years of service.
His personal decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit Medals, Defense Meritorious Service Medals, Meritorious Service Medals, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, as well as other individual, unit, and campaign awards.
He served as a Deputy Sheriff I (Extra Help) with the Orange County Sheriff-Coroner Department (OCSD) in California from July 1984 until February 1995.
He was nominated by President Donald Trump to be the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs in September 2020. No action was taken on the nomination by the Senate Committee on Armed Services before the end of the Trump administration. [1]
He has served as the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mission: POW-MIA since its founding in 2023. Additionally, he was appointed to the Board of Directors of Healing Through History in 2023.
He has been a member of the Executive Committee of the Surface Navy Association (SNA) since 2007 and was elected to the SNA Board of Directors in January 2022.
A life-long equestrian, he was elected to the Board of Directors of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) as an Independent Director in January 2021, and was elected to the USEF Executive Committee in 2022. He is a Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) licensed Dressage Steward and a USEF licensed Dressage Technical Delegate, officiating at equestrian competitions across the United States and internationally.
He briefly served as the Chief Executive Officer of the National League of POW/MIA Families in 2021 and served as a Senior Advisor to the National League of POW/MIA Families from December 2021 through December 2022.
Ronald A. Route is a retired Vice Admiral and former Naval Inspector General of the United States Navy and a former President of the Naval War College. On July 16, 2013, Vice Admiral Route was named President of the Naval Postgraduate School.
Albert Joseph Herberger was a Vice Admiral of the United States Navy, and the first United States Merchant Marine Academy graduate to attain the rank.
Vice Admiral William Douglas Crowder is a retired United States Navy admiral who served as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Operations, Plans and Strategy (N3/N5) in his final assignment, retiring in November 2009. Crowder was the 45th commander of the United States 7th Fleet from September 2006 to July 2008.
Edward Kunhardt Hidalgo was a Mexican-American attorney who served as United States Secretary of the Navy from 1979 to 1981. Appointed by President Jimmy Carter, he was the first Hispanic American to serve as Secretary of the Navy and promoted the recruitment of Hispanics for high command.
Rear Admiral Jay Allan DeLoach served as the Director of Naval History and Director of the Naval History and Heritage Command and the Curator of the Navy from 2008 to 2012. He was an American submarine officer who played a role in implementing a visionary "Memorandum of Understanding" between the Submarine Force Active component and the Reserve component. He helped pioneer many key initiatives that have since been adopted Navy-wide. DeLoach was the Assistant Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Resources, Requirements and Assessments.
Admiral Robert Joseph Natter is a retired United States Navy admiral who served as Commander, U.S. Atlantic Fleet/Fleet Forces Command from 2000 to 2003.
John Collins Harvey Jr. is a former United States Navy four-star admiral who last served as the 31st Commander, United States Fleet Forces Command from July 24, 2009 to September 14, 2012. He previously served as Director, Navy Staff (N09B) from March 24, 2008 to July 23, 2009. Prior to that, he served as the 54th Chief of Naval Personnel and Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (N1) from November 2005 to April 2008. He retired from the navy after more than 39 years of service.
Vincent Paul de Poix was a vice admiral in the United States Navy. He began his career as a naval aviator and fighting in World War II aboard USS Enterprise (CV-6). A graduate of the United States Naval Academy, he became the first captain of the newly commissioned USS Enterprise (CVN-65) in November 1961. He later participated in the Vietnam War, and commanded the United States Second Fleet. He was Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency from August 1972 to September 1974.
Clifford Lee Stanley was the United States Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, having resigned that office in 2011.
Carol M. Pottenger is a retired United States Navy flag officer. She was among the first women to be assigned to serve at sea in 1978, the first female admiral to command a major combat organization, Amphibious Force 7th Fleet/Expeditionary Strike Group Seven, encompassing the amphibious forces assigned to the western Pacific; and the first female admiral to lead a combatant force "type command", Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, charged with the manning, training and equipping of over 40,000 expeditionary sailors in preparation for combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as global security assistance operations. Her final naval post was with NATO as deputy chief of staff for capability and development at Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, Norfolk, Virginia, the first female officer to hold this position.
Rear Admiral Jesse Alphonzo Wilson Jr. is a retired United States Navy officer. His last active duty assignment was as commander of Naval Surface Force Atlantic.
Vice Admiral Thomas J. Moore was a senior officer in the United States Navy. He retired from active duty on June 19, 2020, after 39 years of service. He currently serves as Vice President of Customer Relations for the Mission Technologies Division at Huntington Ingalls Industries.
DeWolfe H. "Chip" Miller III is a former vice admiral in the United States Navy who retired as the Commander, Naval Air Forces, which is also Type Commander (TYCOM) for all United States Navy aviation units, and dual-hatted as Commander, Naval Air Force, Pacific.
Christopher Watson Grady is a United States Navy admiral who is currently serving as the 12th vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff since December 20, 2021.
Shannon D. Cramer Jr. was a United States Navy vice sdmiral. He was second director of the Defense Mapping Agency from September 1974 to August 1977. From April to September 1974, he was deputy director for plans, Defense Intelligence Agency.
Randy B. Crites is a retired vice admiral of the United States Navy. He last served as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Integration of Capabilities and Resources from May 15, 2020, to 2023. He previously served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Budget, and as director of the Fiscal Management Division in Washington, D.C., until he was promoted to the rank of vice admiral in 2020. Prior he served as the Director of OPNAV N81 Assessments Division, as Director of the Maritime Headquarters at United States Pacific Fleet, as Commander Submarine Group 10, and as Commanding officer of USS West Virginia (SSBN-736) and USS Florida (SSGN-728).
Stuart Benjamin Munsch is a United States Navy admiral who serves as the commander of United States Naval Forces Europe-Africa and commander of Allied Joint Force Command Naples since June 27, 2022. He most recently served as the director for joint force development, J7, of the Joint Staff from 2020 to 2022.
Rear Admiral Dwight Shepherd is a retired United States Navy officer and career Naval Flight Officer who last served as Director of Cyberspace Operations, J6, at U.S. Northern Command/ North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) from June 2014 to August 2016. Before that, he served as Director of Manpower and Personnel, J1, on the Joint Staff from June 2012 to June 2014 and as the Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus, from April 2011 to June 2012.
John Blackwelder Nowell Jr. is a retired vice admiral in the United States Navy. Nowell assumed duties as the navy's 59th Chief of Naval Personnel on May 24, 2019. Nowell is a distinguished graduate of the United States Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Ocean Engineering and holds a Master of Science in Weapons Systems Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School.
James Adam Kirk is a retired United States Navy rear admiral and surface warfare officer who last served as the commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 3 from November 18, 2022 to June 9, 2023. He previously served as a special assistant to the Commander, Naval Surface Force Pacific from June 2022 to November 2022; commander of Carrier Strike Group 15 from June 2021 to June 2022; and deputy commander and chief of staff for Joint Warfare Center, Allied Command Transformation in Stavanger, Norway.