- In full:
- Michael Glenn Mullen
- Born:
- October 4, 1946, Los Angeles, California, U.S. (age 80)
- Role In:
- Vietnam War
Mike Mullen
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Who is Mike Mullen?
Mike Mullen, born on October 4, 1946, in Los Angeles, California, is a retired U.S. Navy admiral. He served as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2007 to 2011.
Mullen graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1968. His early career included serving as an antisubmarine officer on the destroyer USS Collett during the Vietnam War and later commanding the gasoline tanker USS Noxubee.
Throughout his career, Mullen held various key positions, including director of surface warfare in the office of the chief of naval operations (CNO), commander of the U.S. Second Fleet, and head of U.S. Naval Forces Europe. He became chief of naval operations in 2005. As chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mullen advocated for cuts in military spending and supported the repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.
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What was Mike Mullen's role in the United States Navy?
Mike Mullen served in the U.S. Navy, graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1968. His initial assignment was as an antisubmarine officer on the destroyer USS Collett during the Vietnam War. He commanded the gasoline tanker USS Noxubee and the guided-missile destroyer USS Goldsborough. Later, he commanded the guided-missile cruiser USS Yorktown and led Cruiser Destroyer Group Two, designated as the George Washington Battle Group.
Mullen served as director of surface warfare and later as deputy chief of resources, requirements, and assessments in the chief of naval operations (CNO) office. In 2003, he became vice chief of naval operations. He headed U.S. Naval Forces Europe and NATO’s Joint Force Command in Naples before being appointed chief of naval operations in 2005.
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What does it mean to be an admiral in the Navy?
An admiral is a high-ranking officer in the Navy who commands a fleet or group of ships or holds an important naval post. The title has ancient origins, possibly from the Arabic amīr al-baḥr, meaning "commander of the sea".
Mike Mullen, a U.S. Navy admiral, served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2007 to 2011. In this role, he was the principal military advisor to the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council.
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What important jobs did Mike Mullen have during his career?
Mike Mullen, a U.S. Navy admiral, held several important positions throughout his career. His early assignments included serving as an antisubmarine officer on the destroyer USS Collett during the Vietnam War and taking command of the gasoline tanker USS Noxubee.
Later, he commanded the guided-missile destroyer USS Goldsborough and the guided-missile cruiser USS Yorktown. Ashore, Mullen served as director of surface officer distribution and director of surface warfare in the office of the chief of naval operations (CNO). He also jointly commanded the U.S. Second Fleet and NATO Striking Fleet Atlantic. In 2005, Mullen was appointed chief of naval operations. From 2007 to 2011, he served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
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What major challenges did Mike Mullen face while serving as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff?
During his tenure as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2007 to 2011, Mike Mullen faced several significant challenges. He worked to restore the position's stature, which had diminished during Donald Rumsfeld's time as Secretary of Defense. Mullen advocated for cuts in military spending, citing the growing federal budget deficit as the greatest security threat to the United States. He also publicly supported the repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, which forced gay and lesbian service members to hide their sexuality.
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How did Mike Mullen influence the United States military during his leadership?
During his tenure as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2007-2011), Admiral Mike Mullen significantly influenced the U.S. military. He revitalized the position of chairman, which had lost influence under Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Mullen advocated for cuts in military spending, citing the growing federal deficit as a major security threat. He also championed the repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, openly supporting the inclusion of gay and lesbian service members in the military.
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Mike Mullen (born October 4, 1946, Los Angeles, California, U.S.) is a U.S. Navy admiral who served as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2007–11).
Mullen graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1968, and his first assignment was as an antisubmarine officer on the destroyer USS Collett, which patrolled the western Pacific during the Vietnam War. Upon his promotion to lieutenant in 1973, Mullen took command of his first ship, the gasoline tanker USS Noxubee, an assignment that concluded with that ship’s decommissioning in 1975. He held a number of posts over the next decade, and he attended Naval Postgraduate School, earning a master’s degree in operations research in 1985. Later that year Mullen took command of the guided-missile destroyer USS Goldsborough. In 1989 he was assigned to the secretary of defense’s office, and he continued his education, graduating from Harvard University’s advanced management program in 1991. Now a captain, Mullen was given command of the guided-missile cruiser USS Yorktown in 1992.
Mullen’s next shore assignment took him to the Bureau of Naval Personnel, where he served as director of surface officer distribution (1994–95). He was promoted to rear admiral in 1997, and his first command as a flag officer saw him at the head of Cruiser Destroyer Group Two. That force was also designated the George Washington Battle Group, after the USS George Washington, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that served as its flagship. In 1998 he was named director of surface warfare in the office of the chief of naval operations (CNO), and he spent much of his shore time over the next decade in that office. He took to the sea again in 2000, assuming joint command of the U.S. Second Fleet and NATO Striking Fleet Atlantic before returning to the CNO’s office as deputy chief of resources, requirements, and assessments the following year. In 2003 Mullen was named vice chief of naval operations, and he received his last operational command in 2004, when he was tapped to head U.S. Naval Forces Europe and NATO’s Joint Force Command in Naples.
Mullen was appointed chief of naval operations in 2005, and in 2007 Pres. George W. Bush nominated him to succeed U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He easily won Senate confirmation, and he immediately began to restore the stature of the position, which had diminished somewhat during the tenure of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (2001–06). Mullen took the unusual step of advocating cuts in military spending, stating that the federal government’s growing budget deficit was the greatest security threat to the United States. He also provided strong public support for the repeal of the controversial “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, under which gay and lesbian service members were forced to conceal their sexuality or risk expulsion from the military. In September 2011 Mullen retired and was succeeded by Gen. Martin Dempsey.