Meanwhile, Good Things

From here.

Navy Vice Adm. David H. Buss for reappointment to the rank of vice admiral, and for assignment as commander, Naval Air Forces/commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, San Diego, Calif. Buss is currently serving as deputy commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Norfolk, Va.

Navy Rear Adm. Michelle J. Howard for appointment to the rank of vice admiral, and for assignment as deputy commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Norfolk, Va. Howard is currently serving as chief of staff, J5, Joint Staff, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.

Navy Vice Adm. Mark I. Fox for reappointment to the rank of vice admiral, and for assignment as deputy chief of naval operations for Operations, plans, and strategy, N3/N5, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Pentagon, Washington, D.C. Fox is currently serving as commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Central Command and commander, Fifth Fleet, Manama, Bahrain.

Navy Vice Adm. Allen G. Myers for reappointment to the rank of vice admiral, and for assignment as deputy chief of naval operations for integration of capabilities and resources, N8, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Pentagon, Washington, D.C. Myers is currently serving as commander, Naval Air Forces/commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, San Diego, Calif.

From a career perspective, worth noting the ties these folks have to USS Sacramento (AOE 1), pirate fighting, and J5.

Three things here. First, Michelle J. Howard is remarkably well respected, and has been one of those folks quietly doing great things in the Navy the last few years. Well earned.

Second, Vice Adm. Mark I. Fox has been the point man at 5th Fleet pushing for the Navy to take a stronger, more active role in the region and good things have been happening under his leadership. The folks at the State Department privately think he's crazy, which is just one more reason why I think he's fantastic, because I think they're delusional over there.

Finally, note how much touch these folks have to the positive changes that have been taking place from the direction of Fleet Forces Command. These folks, behind the scenes, have quietly been doing the hard work necessary to turn the ship around on several of the very hard challenges the Navy has been facing the last few years - and it is credit to the CNO they are getting rewarded for it.

I love this list. Everyone on this list comes with high praise from the people who have worked with and for them. I absolutely love that Mark Fox going to N3/N5, very smart I think, indeed naval aviators are typically tactically brilliant, but this list has three aviators who are also genuine strategic thinkers on it. This list strikes me as a break from the promotion as usual pattern of the Roughead era - because while the good guys usually do finish first, the excellent folks have often got left behind.

Not this time.