Vice Admiral John W. Miller
Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command / Commander, U.S. 5th Fleet / Commander, Combined Maritime Forces
Vice Adm. John W. Miller was commissioned an ensign upon graduation from the United States Naval Academy in 1979.
He was designated a naval flight officer in June 1980 and received orders to VF-101 for replacement training in the F-14A Tomcat.
Miller has spent a majority of his operational career deploying to and operating in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. Sea tours include VF-31 as a division officer, VF-84 as maintenance officer, and command of VF-142, VF-101, USS Dubuque (LPD 8), USS Juneau (LPD 10), USS Constellation (CV 64), USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67), and Carrier Strike Group 11.
His shore tours include VF-101 as an instructor, the United States Naval Academy as leadership section head, White House Fellowship as special assistant to the administrator of NASA, and Aviation Commander assignment officer at the Bureau of Naval Personnel. After promotion to Rear Admiral, Miller spent a considerable amount of time focusing on the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility serving as Deputy Commander to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/United States 5th Fleet and Deputy Director, Strategy, Plans, and Policy (J5); Chief of Staff, U.S. Central Command.
Miller is a distinguished graduate of the Naval War College and holds a Masters degree in International Relations from Salve Regina University.
Miller has accumulated more than 3,500 flight hours and 1,000 carrier-arrested landings in the F-14 Tomcat flying off of John F. Kennedy, USS Nimitz (CVN 68), USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), USS George Washington (CVN 73), USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63), and Constellation.
Miller left command of the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center in October 2011 to serve as the special assistant to the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Operations, Plans, and Strategy (N3/N5) in Washington DC before reporting as Commander U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/United States 5th Fleet/Combined Maritime Forces.
His awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal (2), Legion of Merit (5), Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal (3), Strike Flight Air Medal (2), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (5), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and numerous unit and campaign awards.
Commodore Simon Ancona Royal Navy
United Kingdom Maritime Component Commander / Deputy Commander, Combined Maritime Forces
Commodore Simon Ancona joined the Royal Navy in 1980 and undertook fleet training in, among other ships, HMS Leeds Castle during the Falklands conflict. He qualified as a Seaman Officer in HMS Diomede before undergoing flying training as an Anti-Submarine Helicopter Observer in 1986. Qualifying in 1987, he joined 820 Naval Air Squadron serving in HMS Ark Royal during her global deployment in 1988. His second flying tour was with 826 Naval Air Squadron and included operations in the northern Arabian Gulf during the 1991 Iraq conflict.
Turning back to the surface fleet in 1992 he qualified as a Principal Warfare Officer and joined HMS Liverpool at the end of a refit serving through her work-up and a further spell in the Gulf. He joined the Royal Naval College, Greenwich in March 1994 and completed both the Royal Naval Staff Course and an MA in Defence studies through King’s College, University of London. Returning to flying in 1995, he joined 814 Naval Air Squadron as Senior Observer and served in HMS Invincible during UN support operations in the Adriatic.
Taking command of the Hong Kong Patrol Craft HMS Starling in July 1996, he spent a year conducting operations against smuggling and in support of the territorial integrity of the United Kingdom’s former colony, including the last operational patrol before Hong Kong was handed back to the Chinese.
On promotion to Commander he assumed Command of the HMS Birmingham (DDG) in December 1998 and, after a deployment in support of operations in the Arabian Gulf, he decommissioned her in December 1999 and assumed Command of HMS Newcastle, another in the same class. Joining the Directorate of Naval Operations at the Ministry of Defence in July 2000 he was appointed Military Assistant to the Minister of State for the Armed Forces a year later and subsequently spent two years working in a Ministerial outer office.
In June 2003 he was promoted Captain and put in charge of a CINCFLEET human resources initiative before completing the Joint Higher Command and Staff Course in April 2005. He assumed Command of HMS Cumberland (FF) in June 2005 completing a deployment to the North Atlantic and Caribbean.
Returning to the Ministry of Defence, he became an Assistant Director in the Directorate of Joint Commitments in December 2006 with specific responsibility for both the Iraq strategy team and global maritime commitments. He was promoted Commodore on taking up his appointment as Commander Carrier Strike Group in April 2009. Following a defence review and restructuring, he transferred within the Maritime Battle Staff and became Deputy Commander United Kingdom Maritime Force in January 2011. He took over as United Kingdom Maritime Component Commander (UKMCC) and Deputy Commander Combined Maritime Forces (DCCMF) in Bahrain in November 2011.
Captain John Carter
Chief of Staff, Combined Maritime Forces
Captain Carter hails from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics and Mathematics. He received his Naval Commission from Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island in June 1987. Following Nuclear Power Training in 1988, Captain Carter reported aboard USS PASADENA (SSN 752) during new construction in Groton, Connecticut. While assigned, he completed a change of homeport to San Diego, California and deployments to the North Atlantic and Western Pacific.
In February 1998, Captain Carter completed a split Department Head tour as Weapons and Engineering Officer aboard USS KENTUCKY (SSBN 737) (BLUE) in Kings Bay, Georgia. In December 2001, he completed his Executive Officer tour on USS JACKSONVILLE (SSN 699) in Norfolk, Virginia. While onboard, the ship participated in New York City’s International Naval Review 2000, conducted a Mediterranean Deployment, and received the Commander Submarine Squadron Eight 2001 Battle Efficiency Award. In February 2007, Captain Carter completed a highly successful command tour on USS NEBRASKA (SSBN 739)(BLUE) home ported in Bangor, Washington.
Captain Carter’s tours ashore include the Defense Liaison Division on the Special Projects staff of the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington, D.C., Submarine Operations Officer on the staff of Commander Fleet Forces Command, Senior Board Member of the Atlantic Nuclear Propulsion Examining Board in Norfolk, and Director of Strategic Forces, Nuclear Weapons and Force Protection for Commander Submarine Forces Atlantic.
Captain Carter holds Master of Science degrees in Physics (’94), Systems Analysis (’11) from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a Master in Engineering Management degree (’07) from Old Dominion University.
His personal awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, and the Meritorious Service Medal. His unit awards include the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, two Meritorious Unit Commendations, and two Battle Efficiency awards.
