Obama appoints new Naval Academy superintendent
Obama appoints new Naval Academy superintendent, The appointment of Rear Adm. Walter Carter comes as the military struggles to end sexual assault in its ranks, including at the Naval Academy.
Carter is a recipient of the Navy's Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale Leadership Award, a prestigious leadership award recognizing high standards in ethical conduct. He spoke about the importance of ethics in military officers in 2012 during an interview with Shipmate, the academy's alumni magazine.
"I believe that all Americans have an expectation that everyone in the fleet, enlisted sailors through admirals, will behave ethically and professionally, especially as we complete 40 years as an all-volunteer force," Carter said.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel also emphasized the importance of ethics in a speech last month to graduating academy students after a difficult year that included the prosecution of three academy football players accused of sexually assaulting a classmate. Charges against two were dropped, and the third man was acquitted. The case became public shortly after Obama emphasized the importance of ending sexual assault in the military in a speech to last year's graduating class.
Carter told the alumni magazine that failures in character and judgment greatly affect the entire branch.
"These lapses erode the trust and confidence of not only the crew within the fleet, but also, the American people in us as their Navy," he said.
Carter, a native of Burrillville, Rhode Island, has been president of the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, since last year.
He would succeed Vice Adm. Michael Miller, who became the 61st superintendent of the academy in 2010.
Carter, whose appointment requires U.S. Senate approval, would be promoted to vice admiral.
He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1981 and was designated a naval flight officer in 1982. Carter graduated from the U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School, what was known as the "Top Gun" school, in the last F-4 Phantom class in 1985. He has commanded the Enterprise Carrier Strike Group 12. He also was commander of the USS Carl Vinson, one of the Navy's largest nuclear-powered super carriers. He has flown 125 combat missions.
