In United States Naval Academy terminology, the Old Goat is the longest-serving Naval Academy graduate on active duty. [1] [2] Since 2014, the designation has been accompanied by an award created by a previous Old Goat, Rear Admiral Alton L. Stocks. The award - a crystal decanter engraved with the initials and class years of previous holders - is passed to a new Old Goat upon the current holder's retirement. [3] [4] There have been nine Old Goats so awarded, each after more than 35 years' service to the U.S. Navy.
Photo | Recipient | Class | Awarded title | Relinquished title | Last position | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rear Admiral Alton L. Stocks | 1972 | Unknown | 8 March 2014 | Deputy Chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery | [3] | |
Vice Admiral Michael H. Miller | 1974 | 8 March 2014 | 1 August 2015 | Superintendent, United States Naval Academy | [1] | |
Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert | 1975 | 1 August 2015 | 18 September 2015 | Chief of Naval Operations | [4] | |
Admiral Mark E. Ferguson III | 1978 | 18 September 2015 | 1 July 2016 | Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe & U.S. Naval Forces Africa | [4] | |
Admiral Cecil D. Haney | 1978 | 1 July 2016 | 17 January 2017 | Commander, U.S. Strategic Command | [5] | |
Admiral Harry B. Harris Jr. | 1978 | 17 January 2017 | 11 April 2018 | Commander, U.S. Pacific Command | ||
Admiral Kurt W. Tidd | 1978 | 11 April 2018 | 8 October 2018 | Commander, U.S. Southern Command | [6] | |
Admiral William K. Lescher | 1980 | 8 October 2018 | 30 August 2022 | Vice Chief of Naval Operations | [7] | |
Admiral James F. Caldwell Jr. | 1981 | 30 August 2022 | 10 January 2024 | Director, Naval Reactors | [8] | |
Admiral John C. Aquilino | 1984 | 9 January 2024 | 26 June 2024 | Commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command | [9] | |
Admiral Stuart B. Munsch | 1985 | 26 June 2024 | Incumbent | Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa | [10] |
The current Old Goat is Admiral Stuart B. Munsch (USNA '85), who has served as Commander, United States Naval Forces Europe and Africa since 2022. He received the title and accompanying award from Admiral John C. Aquilino, the outgoing commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command on 26 June 2024. [10]
The Naval Academy's Class of 1978 was just the fourth USNA class to produce four full (four-star) admirals; each was recognized as the Old Goat. [11] [12]
The United States Naval Academy 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 is the second oldest of the five U.S. service academies and it educates midshipmen for service in the officer corps of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. It is part of the Naval University System. The 338-acre (137 ha) campus is located on the former grounds of Fort Severn at the confluence of the Severn River and Chesapeake Bay in Anne Arundel County, 33 miles (53 km) east of Washington, D.C., and 26 miles (42 km) southeast of Baltimore. The entire campus, known colloquially as the Yard, is a National Historic Landmark and home to many historic sites, buildings, and monuments. It replaced Philadelphia Naval Asylum in Philadelphia that had served as the first United States Naval Academy from 1838 to 1845 when the Naval Academy formed in Annapolis.
The Naval Academy Preparatory School or NAPS is the preparatory school for the United States Naval Academy (USNA). NAPS is located on Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island. The mission of the Naval Academy Preparatory School is "To enhance Midshipman Candidates' moral, mental, and physical foundations to prepare them for success at the United States Naval Academy".
Harry Binkley Harris Jr. is a retired Japanese-born American diplomat and retired U.S. Navy officer. He was the first American of Japanese descent to lead US Pacific Command and was the highest-ranking American of Japanese descent in U.S. Navy history during his time as commander.
James George Stavridis is a retired United States Navy admiral and vice chair, global affairs, and a managing director-partner of The Carlyle Group, a global investment firm, and chair of the board of trustees of the Rockefeller Foundation. Stavridis serves as the chief international diplomacy and national security analyst for NBC News in New York. He is also chair emeritus of the board of directors of the United States Naval Institute and a senior fellow at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.
Kurt Walter Tidd is a retired United States Navy admiral. He last served as the Commander, United States Southern Command. Prior to that assignment, Tidd served as Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He also served as the Director for Operations, Joint Staff (J-3) from 2012 to 2013, and as Commander, United States Naval Forces Southern Command and United States Fourth Fleet from August 5, 2011, to June 22, 2012. Confirmed by the Senate on December 16, 2015, Tidd received his fourth star and succeeded John F. Kelly as commander of United States Southern Command on January 14, 2016. Tidd held the title of "Old salt", which means he received his qualification for Surface Warfare before any other active-duty navy officer. He passed said title to Admiral Philip S. Davidson upon his retirement. Upon the May 30, 2018, retirement of his United States Naval Academy classmate, Admiral Harry B. Harris Jr., Tidd also gained the honorific of "Old Goat" – the longest-serving Naval Academy graduate on active duty. Harris presented Tidd with the Old Goat decanter in a ceremony on April 11, 2018.
The superintendent of the United States Naval Academy is its commanding officer. The position is a statutory office, and is roughly equivalent to the chancellor or president of an American civilian university. The officer appointed is, by tradition, a graduate of the United States Naval Academy. However, this is not an official requirement for the position. To date, all superintendents have been naval officers. No Marine Corps officer has yet served as superintendent.
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Hispanics in the United States Naval Academy account for the largest minority group in the institution. According to the academy, the Class of 2009 includes 271 (22.2%) minority midshipmen. Out of these 271 midshipmen, 115 are of Hispanic heritage. In 2004, of the total of 736 female midshipmen, 74 (10%) of them were of Hispanic descent.
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