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A native of Philadelphia, Pa., and a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy (Class of '64), Vice Admiral Lautenbacher has served in a broad range of operational, command and staff billets.
Operational tours include Division Officer in USS WASP (CVS-18), and USS HENRY B. WILSON (DDG-7), a second tour on the USS HENRY B. WILSON (DDG-7) as Department Head, and Executive Officer of USS BENJAMIN STODDERT (DDG-22). Areas of expertise include Anti-submarine Warfare, Anti-air Warfare, and Naval Surface Fire Support, with expertise gained during a number of deployments to the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.

Command experience includes tours as Commanding Officer of USS HEWITT (DD-966), Commander Naval Station Norfolk, Commander of Cruiser-Destroyer Group Five with additional duties as Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Riyadh, during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, where he was in charge of Navy planning and participation in the air campaign. As Commander U.S. Third Fleet, he introduced Joint training to the Pacific with the initiation of the first West Coast Joint Task Force Training Exercises (JTFEXs). A leader in the introduction of cutting edge information technology, he pioneered the use of information technology to mount large-scale operations using sea based command and control. He was the architect of the USS CORONADO transformation to a prototype Joint Command and Control ship (JCC), a founding father of the current Fleet Battle Experiment program, and originator of the Sea Based Battle Laboratory concept for significantly reducing the time to move technology to the fleet.

Staff duties include higher education as well as significant assignments in senior management. Vice Admiral Lautenbacher attended Harvard University receiving MS and Ph.D. degrees in Applied Mathematics. He was selected as a Federal Executive Fellow and served at the Brookings Institution. He served as a guest lecturer on numerous occasions at the Naval War College, the Army War College, the Air War College, The Fletcher School of Diplomacy, and the components of the National Defense University.

As a Cost Analyst in OSD Systems Analysis, he became an expert in building cost estimating models for major acquisition programs with specialization in aircraft R&D and procurement. He was one of the original members of the Cost Analysis Improvement Group (CAIG) independent cost estimating effort. As Assistant for Strategy with the CNO Executive Panel, and Program Planning Branch Head in the Navy Program Planning Directorate, he continued to hone his analytic skills resulting in designation as a specialist both in Operations Analysis and Financial Management.

As a Flag Officer he served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Management/Inspector General on the staff of Commander in Chief U.S. Pacific Fleet; and Director of Force Structure, Resources, and Assessments (J-8) on the Joint Staff, where he contributed to the development of the Base Force and was a prime architect of the Bottom Up Review military force structure. He also served as director, Office of Program Appraisal, on the Staff of the Secretary of the Navy and his last assignment on active duty was Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Resources, Warfare Requirements and Assessments) personally responsible for developing the Navy Future (five) Years Program and $80B annual budget. These positions resulted in the development of significant expertise in federal government processes within both the Executive and Legislative branches.

After transitioning to the civilian sector, he formed his own management consultant business, and worked principally for Technology, Strategies & Alliances Inc. He was President and CEO of the Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education (CORE) before joining NOAA Monday, Dec. 10, 2001. This not-for-profit organization has a membership of 65 institutions of higher learning, and a mission to increase basic knowledge and public support across the spectrum of ocean sciences.