Richard W. Butler

Last updated
Richard W. Butler
Rear Admiral Richard Butler.jpg
Birth nameRichard Wallace Butler [1]
Born1959 (age 6566) [2]
Service / branchFlag of the United States Navy (official).svg  United States Navy
Years of service1982–2016
RankRear Admiral Lower Half
Commands VFA-25
CVW-14
Joint Task Force Guantanamo
Carrier Strike Group 4

Richard W. Butler is a retired aviator and officer in the United States Navy. [3] [4]

He was the commandant of Joint Task Force Guantanamo from July 2013 to July 2014. [3]

Butler went on record as supporting President Barack Obama's plan to close the detention camp. [5]

Butler later served as the commanding officer of Carrier Strike Group 4 before retiring from active duty in 2016. [4]

Earlier in his career, Butler commanded Strike Fighter Squadron 25 and Carrier Air Wing 14. [4]

Butler is a 1982 graduate of the University of Kentucky. He later earned a master's degree from the National War College. [4]

References

  1. "PN673 — Navy". U.S. Congress. 1993-10-25. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
  2. Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy on Active Duty. Bureau of Naval Personnel. 1990-10-01. p. 90. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
  3. 1 2 Carol Rosenberg (2016-11-17). "Navy sending new commander to run President Trump's Guantánamo prison". Miami Herald . Retrieved 2016-11-17.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "United States Navy biography: Rear Admiral Richard W. Butler". United States Navy. 2016-03-02. Archived from the original on May 25, 2017. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
  5. Jason Leopold (2013-12-12). "New Guantanamo commander supports closing facility". Guantanamo Bay: Al Jazeera . Retrieved 2016-11-17. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Navy Rear Adm. Richard Butler, commander of Joint Task Force-Guantanamo, said he agreed with Obama's pledge to shut down the detention facility, which in a month will mark 12 years since the first prisoners arrived, and has so far cost taxpayers $5 billion.