Mark E. Ferguson III (born October 30, 1956) is a retired United States Navyadmiral who last served as Commander, United States Naval Forces Europe, United States Naval Forces Africa and Allied Joint Force Command Naples.[2] Ferguson previously served as the 37th Vice Chief of Naval Operations from August 22, 2011, to July 1, 2014. Prior to that, he served as the 55th Chief of Naval Personnel and Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Manpower, Personnel, Training & Education). He also served as chief of legislative affairs and assistant commander for distribution, Navy Personnel Command. He retired from active duty on July 1, 2016.[1]
Ferguson entered the United States Naval Academy from Glen Burnie, Maryland, with the Class of 1978. He graduated tenth in his class, earning a bachelor's degree in systems engineering and the N* as a member of the lacrosse team.[3][4]
Following graduation, Ferguson attended nuclear power school at Orlando, Florida, and nuclear prototype training in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Following completion of surface warfare officer's school in Newport, Rhode Island, he was assigned to the USSSouth Carolina(CGN-37), serving on board from 1980 to 1983.[5]
Ferguson reported to the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and completed his master's degree in computer science. Following department head school, he reported in 1985 to the USSFife(DD-991) as operations officer.[5] From 1987 to 1989, he was assigned to the Bureau of Personnel in Washington, D.C., as an assignment officer.[5]
From 1989 to 1992, he served as the reactor officer on board USSDwight D. Eisenhower(CVN-69). During his tour, the ship participated in Operation Desert Storm and deployed to the United States European Command area of operations.[5] Following this tour, he reported to the Department of the Navy Office of Legislative Affairs in Washington, D.C., as the officer responsible for readiness and surface warfare programs.[5]
Ferguson was designated the first commanding officer of USSBenfold(DDG-65) and reported in 1995 to Pascagoula, Mississippi, with the pre-commissioning crew.[5] On March 30, 1996, the USS Benfold was commissioned in San Diego, California. During Ferguson's command tour, the ship was awarded multiple department awards, and subsequently, the Battle 'E' and the Spokane Trophy for the readiness cycle. In his article "Retention Through Redemption" in Harvard Business Review and subsequent book It's Your Ship, author D. Michael Abrashoff referred to his predecessor in USS Benfold.[6][7] Although his name was not explicitly mentioned, it was implied the person was Ferguson.[5]
In June 1997, Ferguson entered the Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as a National Security Fellow. In August 1998, he reported to the staff of Supreme Allied Commander, Europe in Mons, Belgium, as a special assistant to the SACEUR. During this tour, he participated in Operation Allied Force, the NATO Air Campaign in the Balkans.[8][5]
Ferguson is promoted to admiral, August 22, 2011.
Upon returning from overseas, Ferguson reported as the commander of Destroyer Squadron 18 based in Norfolk, Virginia, as part of the USS Enterprise Strike Group. On September 11, he was commander of Task Force 60 in the Mediterranean.[5] In October, he returned to the navy's Office of Legislative Affairs as the director of the Senate Liaison Office. In 2003, he was selected for flag rank and reported as the assistant commander for distribution (PERS-4) at the Navy Personnel Command in Millington, Tennessee.[5] In 2005, he was ordered to be the navy's chief of legislative affairs in Washington, D.C., and promoted to rear admiral.[5]
In April 2008, Ferguson was promoted to vice admiral and reported as the navy's Chief of Naval Personnel. During his tour, the navy was the first federal agency to receive the Optimas Award for General Excellence by Workforce Management Magazine for innovative personnel policies.[9] He was recognized for the introduction of flexible work programs such as telework, professional sabbaticals, and professional credentialing for navy work experience.[10][11] He was the personnel policy team leader for the Report of the Comprehensive Review of the Issues Associated with the Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", whose publication led to the repeal of the law,[12][13] and was instrumental in the return of NROTC to Ivy League campuses.[14][15][5]
On August 22, 2011, Ferguson was promoted to admiral and began his term as the 37th Vice Chief of Naval Operations. During this period, he testified before Congress on the impact of sequestration on the readiness of the force.[16][5]
After assuming command of United States Naval Forces Europe in July 2014, Ferguson was quoted on Russian activity in Crimea and in Europe.[17] He spoke at the Atlantic Council in October 2015 regarding Russia, and was cited in the press regarding resurgent Russian Navy and their construction of an 'arc of steel' from the Arctic to the Mediterranean.[18][19][20] During his tenure in command, the navy completed the deployment of four Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to Rota, Spain, and activated the AEGIS ballistic missile defense site at the former Devaselu Airbase in Romania.[21][22][5] His tour was marked by a renewed focus on 'high-end' naval operations in the European theater.[23]
Ferguson was recognized for his support of navy personnel and was designated an honorary chief petty officer, recognized by the SEALs as an 'honorary frogman', and named a distinguished graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School.[24] In 2015, he received the Ellis Island Award in New York for his work in innovative personnel policies supporting service members and their families.[25][26][5]
He was selected in 2021 to serve as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association.
The United States Second Fleet is a numbered fleet in the United States Navy responsible for operations in the East Coast and North Atlantic Ocean. Established after World War II, Second Fleet was deactivated in 2011, when the United States government believed that Russia's military threat had diminished, and reestablished in 2018 amid renewed tensions between NATO and Russia.
The Military Sealift Command (MSC) is an organization that controls the replenishment and military transport ships of the United States Navy. Military Sealift Command has the responsibility for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all US military services as well as for other government agencies. It first came into existence on 9 July 1949 when the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) became solely responsible for the Department of Defense's ocean transport needs. The MSTS was renamed the Military Sealift Command in 1970.
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Naval Station Rota, also known as NAVSTA Rota, is a Spanish-U.S. naval base commanded by a Spanish rear admiral. Located in Rota in the Province of Cádiz, NAVSTA Rota is the largest American military community in Spain, housing U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps personnel. There are also small U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force contingents on the base.
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Samuel Perez Jr. is a retired rear admiral in the United States Navy.
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Carrier Strike Group 2 is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group, tracing its history originally to 1931. The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower is the strike group's current flagship. As of Aug 2020, other units assigned to Carrier Strike Group 2 included the nine squadrons of Carrier Air Wing Three; the Ticonderoga-class cruisersUSS Philippine Sea (CG-58); USS Monterey (CG-61), USS Vella Gulf (CG-72) and the Arleigh Burke-class destroyersUSS Mitscher (DDG-57), USS Laboon, USS Mahan (DDG-72), and USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116) from Destroyer Squadron 22.
Carrier Strike Group 3 is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. Carrier strike groups gain and maintain sea control as well as project naval airpower ashore. The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) is the group's current flagship. Other units assigned as of 2024 include Carrier Air Wing Nine, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyersUSS O'Kane (DDG-77), USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121), and USS Spruance (DDG-111), which are part of Destroyer Squadron 21.
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↑ Michael., Abrashoff, D. (October 9, 2012). It's your ship: management techniques from the best damn ship in the Navy. Grand Central. ISBN9781455523023. OCLC801605273.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
↑ Affairs, This story was written by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Kyle P. Malloy, Chief of Naval Operations Public. "Navy Receives OPTIMAS Award for". Retrieved December 29, 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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