Edmund Giambastiani

Infobox Military Person
name=Edmund P. Giambastiani, Jr.
born= May 4, 1948
died=
placeofbirth= Canastota, New York
placeofdeath=


caption=Admiral Giambastiani, USN
nickname=
allegiance= United States of America of America
branch=United States Navy
serviceyears= 1970 - 2007
rank= Admiral
commands= Vice Chairman of the JCS
unit=
battles=
awards=Defense Distinguished Service Medal (2) Distinguished Service Medal (5) Legion of Merit (4)
laterwork=

Edmund P. Giambastiani, Jr. (born May 4, 1948) was an Admiral in the United States Navy. He served as the seventh Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2005 until his retirement from service in 2007.

Military career

Giambastiani was born in Canastota, New York. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy with leadership distinction in 1970. He has been awarded numerous decorations but is most proud of his 19 unit awards and commendations because they recognize the participation and accomplishments of the entire team.Fact|date=January 2008

Giambastiani's operational assignments have included several in which he was responsible for both demanding at-sea operations and the development of new technologies and experimental processes. Early sea assignments included USS "Puffer" and USS "Francis Scott Key" (BLUE). While assigned to USS "Puffer", he was a 1973 winner of the Fleet Commander’s Junior Officer Submarine Shiphandling Competition. He commanded the NR-1 Deep Submergence Craft, the Navy's only nuclear powered deep diving ocean engineering and research submarine and USS "Richard B. Russell", where the crew was awarded three consecutive Battle Efficiency “E”s, three Navy Unit Commendations, and two Fleet Commander Silver Anchors for excellence in enlisted retention.

Admiral Giambastiani also led Submarine Development Squadron Twelve, an operational submarine squadron that also serves as the Navy's Warfare Center of Excellence for submarine doctrine and tactics. Established in 1949, Submarine Development Squadron Twelve is the oldest experimental unit of its kind in the U.S. military. He served as the first director of strategy and concepts at the Naval Doctrine Command, as well as Commander, Atlantic Fleet Submarine Force; Commander, Submarines Allied Command Atlantic; and Commander, Anti-Submarine and Reconnaissance Forces Atlantic in Norfolk, Virginia.

Admiral Giambastiani's other shore and staff assignments include duties as an enlisted program manager at the Navy Recruiting Command Headquarters, Washington, DC, in the early days of the all volunteer force; Special Assistant to the Deputy Director for Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency; and, a fellowship with the Chief of Naval Operations' Strategic Studies Group. As a flag officer, he served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Resources, Warfare Requirements and Assessments for the Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet; Director of Submarine Warfare for the Chief of Naval Operations; Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Resources, Requirements, and Assessments; and as the Senior Military Assistant to Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld. His previous assignment was as NATO’s first Supreme Allied Commander Transformation and as Commander, United States Joint Forces Command, where he led the transformation of NATO and U.S. military forces, capabilities and doctrines and the introduction of new technologies.

Admiral Giambastiani served as NATO's first Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT) and the Commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command from October 2, 2002 to August 1, 2005. [cite web
url=http://www.jfcom.mil/about/giambastiani.htm
title=Admiral Edmund P. Giambastiani, Jr., U.S. Joint Forces Command/North Atlantic Treaty Organization|publisher=United States Joint Forces Command
accessdate=2004-06-18]

Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

On August 12, 2005, Admiral Giambastiani was sworn in as the seventh Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, becoming the third naval officer to hold that position.

As Vice Chairman, Admiral Giambastiani chairs the Joint Requirements Oversight Council, co-chairs the Defense Acquisition Board, and serves as a member of the National Security Council Deputies Committee, the Nuclear Weapons Council and the Missile Defense Executive Board. In addition, he works with Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England as Co-Chair of the Deputies Advisory Working Group, which oversees implementation of the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review and other high level Departmental business issues.

On May 4-6, 2007, he visited Tunisia, meeting with high-ranking military and civilian officials, including his Tunisian counterparts and Tunisian Foreign Minister Abdelwaheb Abdallah and Defense Minister Kamel Morjane. He went to the North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial on the outskirts of Tunis to pay his respects to fallen US soldiers who had died there during the Tunisia campaign of World War II.

On June 1, 2007, Giambastiani announced his retirement from the military to spend more time with his family and pursue other ventures. cite news|accessdate=2007-06-02
url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/02/washington/02admiral.html?_r=1&ref=washington&oref=slogin
title=Vice Chairman of Joint Chiefs Says He’ll Retire in August
date=June 2, 2007 |work=New York Times] He retired on 27 July 2007. [Miles, Donna. [http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=46861 Vice Chairman Honored for Contributions, Service] . "American Forces Press Service". July 27 2007.]

His interests include amateur radio, for which he holds the call sign N4OC.

Military decorations

His decorations include the Joint Chiefs of Staff Insignia, the Submarine Warfare Insignia and the Deep Submergence Insignia along with numerous personal and unit decorations, medals and ribbons including:
*Defense Distinguished Service Medal with bronze oak leaf cluster (2 awards)
*Navy Distinguished Service Medal with 4 gold award stars (5 awards)
*Legion of Merit with 3 gold award stars (4 awards)
*Meritorious Service Medal (5 awards)
*Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (2 awards)
*Joint Meritorious Unit Award
*Navy Unit Commendation with 4 bronze stars (5 awards)
*Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation with 4 bronze stars (5 awards)
*Navy Efficiency Ribbon with Wreathed "E" Device (8 awards)
*Navy Expeditionary Medal with bronze star (2 awards)
*National Defense Service Medal with 2 bronze stars (3 awards)
*Vietnam Service Medal with bronze campaign star (1 award)
*Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
*Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with 3 bronze stars (4 awards)
*Navy Recruiting Service Ribbon
* Commander of the National Order of Merit (Republic of France)Fact|date=February 2008
* Knight Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (GBE) (United Kingdom)Fact|date=February 2008
* NATO Meritorious Service Medal cite web|accessdate=
url=http://www.nato.int/docu/update/2005/08-august/e0801a.htm
title=NATO’s first Transformation Commander bids farewell
date=August 1, 2005
publisher=NATO]
* Order of Merit (Military), Commander Cross with Star (Hungary)cite web|accessdate=2008-02-25 |url=http://www.huembwas.org/News2/Gyurcsany.htm
title=Magyar Köztársasági Érdemrend középkeresztje
date=October 8, 2005
publisher=Embassy of Hungary]
*Order of the Cross of the Eagle, First Class (Estonia)cite web|accessdate=2008-02-25 |url=http://www.president.ee/et/vabariik/teenetem2rgid.php?gid=89301
title=Kotkaristi I klassi orden
month=February | year=2006
publisher=Estonia Government]
*Meritorious Service Cross (M.S.C.) (Canada) [Governor General of Canada, January 24, 2006]
*Gallantry Cross with Palm Unit Citation (Republic of Vietnam)
*Civil Actions Honor Medal Unit Citation (Republic of Vietnam)
*Vietnam Campaign Medal (Republic of Vietnam)
*Navy Expert Rifleman Medal
*Navy Pistol Marksmanship Ribbon

Notes

ee also

References

:"This article incorporates text in the public domain from the United States government."'
*cite web|url=http://www.jcs.mil/bios/bio_giambastiani.html
title=Official JCS biography ("This work is in the public domain.")
accessdate=2005-08-15
*cite web|url=http://www.gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocID=4653
title=Governor General announces awarding of Meritorious Service Decorations
publisher=Governor General of Canada
date=2006-01-24
accessdate=2006-09-30