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Vice Adm. John M. Bird, the son of
a career Naval Officer, lived throughout the United States during
his childhood and ultimately settled in Pensacola, Fla., where he
graduated from Pensacola Catholic High School. In 1977, he graduated
from the United States Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in
Mechanical Engineering. He holds a Master of Science in Engineering
Management from the Catholic University of America and has completed
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Seminar XXI in Foreign
Affairs, International Relations and National Security.
As a career submarine officer,
Vice Adm. Bird has served on both fast attack and ballistic missile
submarines in both the Pacific and Atlantic Fleets. His assignments
included, USS Seahorse (SSN 669), USS Simon Bolivar (SSBN 641), USS
Sea Devil (SSN 664), USS Tunny (SSN 682), and USS Scranton (SSN 756)
where he served as the Commanding Officer and was awarded the Naval
Submarine League’s Jack Darby Award for Inspirational Leadership and
Excellence in Command, and earned the Submarine Squadron 6 Battle
Efficiency “E” for two consecutive years in 1994 and 1995. He
commanded Submarine Squadron 8 which included eight fast attack
submarines in Norfolk, Va., from August 1999 to April 2001.
Vice Adm. Bird served as Special
Assistant (Legislative Affairs) to the Chief of Naval Personnel;
Principal Assistant in the Office of Deputy Chief of Naval
Operations for Undersea Warfare (Readiness and Tactics); Division
Chief for Central, South and Southeast Asia (J5); and the Assistant
Deputy Director for Political-Military Affairs Asia, J5, on the
Joint Chiefs of Staff. Following a two year assignment as J3/J4 -
Director for Operations and Plans, Logistics and Engineering, United
States Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM), Norfolk, VA., Vice Admiral
Bird assumed command as the 39th Commander of Submarine Group 7,
Commander, Task Force 74, and Commander Task Force 54 in Yokosuka,
Japan. He assumed duties as the Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff,
U.S. Pacific Fleet, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in December 2006. In July
2008, he assumed command as the 46th Commander of the U.S. 7th
Fleet. |
