Donald C. Winter

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Donald C. Winter
73rd United States Secretary of the Navy
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 3, 2006
President	George W. Bush
Preceded by	Gordon R. England
Political party	Republican

Donald C. Winter is the current United States Secretary of the Navy. A former top executive of Northrop Grumman, he was nominated in 2005 by President George W. Bush, confirmed by the United States Senate, and took the oath of office on January 3, 2006.

Winter earned a bachelor's degree (with highest distinction[1]) in physics from the University of Rochester in 1969. He received a master's degree in 1970, and a doctorate in physics in 1972, from the University of Michigan.

He joined the aerospace technology company TRW in 1972, and directed laser physics projects in Redondo Beach, California. By 1978, he was head of the optics department there.

In 1980, Winter received a three-year appointment to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), serving under Dr. Bob Cooper during the very early years of research into the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) proposed by President Ronald Reagan. Winter's main responsibility was for Talon Gold, an advanced acquisition, tracking, and pointing experiment in space. During that period, he was awarded the Secretary of Defense's Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service.

Winter sworn in as Secretary of the Navy, January 2006.

Donald Winter with CNO Admiral Michael Mullen and MCPON Terry D. Scott

In 1982, Winter resigned from his DARPA appointment early and returned to TRW, where he held senior systems engineering and program management responsibilities for a variety of space system programs for the next eight years. From 1990 through 1997, as vice president and general manager of the defense systems division of TRW's Space & Electronics (S&E) business, Winter directed space systems activities that supported the national defense effort.

Winter was president and CEO of TRW Systems from January 2000 until its acquisition by Northrop Grumman in December 2002. After the Northrop acquisition, Winter became head of Northrop Grumman Mission Systems until his nomination by President Bush to become the civilian head of the Department of the Navy.

Winter also has a wife, Linda.

[edit] References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Donald C. Winter

• Official Navy biography

v • d • e United States Secretaries of the Navy Cabinet Level Stoddert • Smith • Hamilton • Jones • Crowninshield • S Thompson • Southard • Branch • Woodbury • Dickerson • Paulding • Badger • Upshur • Henshaw • Gilmer • Mason • Bancroft • Mason • Preston • Graham • Kennedy • Dobbin • Toucey • Welles • Borie • Robeson • R Thompson • Goff • Hunt • Chandler • Whitney • Tracy • Herbert • Long • Moody • Morton • Bonaparte • Metcalf • Newberry • Meyer • Daniels • Denby • Wilbur • Adams • Swanson • Knox • Forrestal Dept. of Defense Sullivan • Matthews • Kimball • Anderson • Thomas • Gates • Franke • Connally • Korth • Nitze • Ignatius • Chafee • Warner • Middendorf • Claytor • Hidalgo • Lehman • Webb • Ball • Garrett • O'Keefe • Dalton • Danzig • England • Winter

v • d • e Senior Officials in the United States Department of Defense Secretary of Defense (Robert Gates) Deputy Secretary of Defense (Gordon R. England) Under Secretaries: Intelligence (James R. Clapper) • Policy (Eric S. Edelman) • Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics • Personel and Readiness (David S. C. Chu) • Comptroller Military Secretaries: Secretary of the Army (Pete Geren) • Secretary of the Navy (Donald C. Winter) • Secretary of the Air Force (Michael Wynne)