James A. Winnefeld, Jr.

James Alexander "Sandy" Winnefeld Jr. (born April 24, 1956 ) is a retired United States Navy admiral who served as the chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board. While on active duty, Winnefeld served as the ninth vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from August 4, 2011, to July 31, 2015.

He previously served as the fourth commander of U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and the 21st commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) from May 19, 2010, to August 3, 2011.

Prior to that, Winnefeld served as Director for Strategic Plans and Policy, Joint Staff which he concurrently served as the Senior Member, U.S. Delegation to the U.N. Military Staff Committee. His other operational commands include serving as the commander of U.S. Sixth Fleet and commander of Allied Joint Command Lisbon.

As the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Winnefeld was the second highest-ranking officer in the United States Armed Forces, second only to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In 2015, he retired from the Navy after over 37 years of service. He currently serves on the board of directors for Raytheon Technologies, one of the largest aerospace and defense companies in the world.

Biography Winnefeld's military lineage extended to his father and grandfather who both served in the Navy. His great-grandfather was a Prussian cavalryman.

While at Georgia Tech, he was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. After designation as a naval aviator, he served with two fighter squadrons and as an instructor at the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN). While an instructor at TOPGUN, he worked with crew from Paramount Pictures on the production of the movie Top Gun. Winnefeld went on to graduate with the highest distinction from the U.S. Naval War College off-campus program. He is a recipient of the Admiral William J. Crowe Award as Joint Staff Action Officer of the Year and the Vice Admiral William W. Behrens Jr. award as the honor graduate of his class at Nuclear Power School.

His command tours include Fighter Squadron 211 (VF-211), and as the 17th commanding officer of the . He led Enterprise through her 18th deployment, which included combat operations in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom immediately after the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001. As commander, Carrier Strike Group 2/Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, he led Task Forces 50, 152 and 58 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and maritime interception operations in the Persian Gulf. He most recently served concurrently as Commander, U.S. Sixth Fleet; Commander, Allied Joint Command Lisbon; Commander, Striking and Support Forces NATO; Deputy Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe; and Joint Forces Maritime Component Commander, Europe. He is also a non-resident senior fellow at the Belfer Center at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Winnefeld began speaking out on his son's opioid overdose death and advocating for awareness of the opioid epidemic.

In an April 5, 2020 phone call to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer touted Winnefeld as a potential COVID-19 czar to oversee the production and disbursement of medical equipment.

In May 2022, Winnefeld was appointed to serve as chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board.

September 11 attacks Winnefeld was the commanding officer of the USS Enterprise during the September 11 attacks. The Enterprise was headed to Cape Town, South Africa, for a port call.

Military awards and decorations

Naval Aviator insigniaDefense Distinguished Service Medal with two bronze oak leaf clusters | Navy Distinguished Service MedalDefense Superior Service MedalLegion of Meritwith one starBronze StarDefense Meritorious Service MedalMeritorious Service MedalAir Medalwith Strike/Flight numeral "1"Navy Commendation MedalJoint Service Achievement MedalNavy and Marine Corps Achievement MedalJoint Meritorious Unit Awardwith clusterNavy Unit Commendationwith one starNavy E Ribbonwith wreathed Battle "E" DeviceNational Defense Service Medalwith one starArmed Forces Expeditionary Medalwith two starsSouthwest Asia Service Medalwith one starGlobal War on Terrorism Expeditionary MedalGlobal War on Terrorism Service MedalSea Service Deployment Ribbonwith six starsMeritorious Service CrossMilitary Division(Canada) French National Order of Merit, CommanderPistol Marksmanship Medalwith Expert Marksmanship DeviceOffice of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge

He is also a recipient of the William J. Crowe, William W. Behrens Jr. awards and the 2012 recipient of the Naval War College Distinguished Graduate Leadership Award.

Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic (SAFE) After losing a son to opioid addiction, the Winnefeld family began dedicating themselves to studying the issue. They launched a website called SafeProject.us with the goal of saving other families from experiencing the same tragedy.