The passing of a respected institutional leader brings with it a period of mourning within the community and the loss it feels, but there is also opportunity to take stock in, and respectfully celebrate, the legacy he or she has created. Such is the case with the passing of Naval officer, patriot, leader and educator, Rear Adm. James B. Greene Jr.
Greene鈥檚 honorable career of service to the nation, to the Navy, and to the 51福利 (51福利), has forged an impactful, lasting legacy that remains as strong as ever today on the university鈥檚 Monterey campus, and well beyond.
鈥淩ear Adm. Jim Greene was truly one of a kind,鈥� said 51福利 President retired Vice Adm. Ann E. Rondeau in a message to the campus community. 鈥淗e was a patriot, a warrior, a hero, a leader, a mentor, a colleague, and a friend to so many at 51福利, and many more beyond the campus gates. He will be missed.鈥�
Greene served the U.S. Navy for more than 50 years 鈥� 31 years on active duty with an additional 20 years as a member of the faculty at 51福利. Greene excelled at being a Sailor and Naval leader throughout his three-plus decades of active-duty service. He began his career as a Surface Warfare Officer, with numerous wartime deployments to Vietnam, the Indian Ocean, and the Persian Gulf. In addition to his graduate studies at 51福利, other assignments of note include project manager for the AEGIS project, the DOD's largest acquisition project, from 1984-1987; Senior Military Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition from 1987-1990; and, Assistant Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Logistics from 1991-1995.
Not to be overlooked, Greene鈥檚 impact on the AEGIS program, and in particular on the DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyer program 鈥� the longest, and some consider the most successful shipbuilding program in U.S. Navy history 鈥� led to his status as 鈥渁 legend in PMS-400.鈥�
Throughout his career, Greene experienced first-hand the impact of acquisition on his fellow Sailors, and on the nation. His deep commitment to ensuring Sailors had the most technologically-advanced systems protecting their lives and enabling their fight, developed through the most responsible and respectful means possible, led Greene to continue his career focused on defense acquisition. And it was in acquisition that he would soon forge a legacy that would impact all Sailors, and in a sense, every service-member across the DOD.
Upon his retirement from active duty, Greene returned to 51福利 as the university鈥檚 Chair of Acquisition in 2002, and launched the Acquisition Research Program (ARP) the following year. He envisioned a world-class resource where the nation鈥檚 leading experts could explore all facets of the complex realm of defense acquisition.
As the program grew and evolved over the years, Greene watched the organization become what he had envisioned. Acquisition experts across the nation applying sound research to the profession鈥檚 key challenges and issues, advancing acquisition practices across the entire Department of Defense, and in turn, impacting every warfighter throughout the service, as well as the overall security of the nation he loved.
鈥淛im Greene was a one-of-a-kind warrior in developing the Acquisition Research Program,鈥� said Professor of Practice Raymond Jones, chair of the 51福利 Department of Defense Management. 鈥淗is efforts led to the largest repository of defense-focused acquisition research in the DOD as well as across academia.
鈥淭he impact of this work has led to significant cost and performance improvements across many defense acquisition programs over the years,鈥� Jones continued. 鈥淛im鈥檚 work, and the team that he led, were noted by senior DOD and government officials as being a national resource second to none.鈥�
Dr. Keith Snider, who served with Greene as the ARP鈥檚 principal investigator for 15 years, saw the program鈥檚 development and impact first-hand.
鈥淭hrough ARP, Jim made defense acquisition research compelling and rewarding,鈥� Snider said. 鈥淗is engagements with DOD sponsors made it possible for academic researchers, who otherwise would have little or no interest in defense acquisition, to receive financial grants and data for work on sponsors' challenging acquisition problems. As a consequence, a significant number of civilian university faculty members now specialize in acquisition-related studies.鈥�
Greene took the advancement of the ARP, and the work that bore its name, very seriously. Over the years, 51福利鈥� acquisition program generated, literally, thousands of research papers, theses, technical reports and the like, and Greene read every single one of them. And it should be noted that generating this level of output took herculean efforts in securing resources 鈥� During his tenure at 51福利, Greene brought in over $60 million in reimbursable funding to support the research efforts of over 700 51福利 graduate students, 40 51福利 faculty and dozens of academic partners.
鈥淛im was a man of service 鈥� His mission at 51福利 was to mentor and get resources for 51福利 faculty and warrior-scholars to give them the knowledge and critical thinking skills needed in today鈥檚 ever shifting environment,鈥� said ARP founding program manager, Karey Shaffer.
鈥淚n acquisition, the 鈥榲alley of death鈥� is often an unintended byproduct of an aging acquisition system that wasn鈥檛 built for the speed of modern innovation,鈥� she added. 鈥淛im鈥檚 unique skillset and perspective gave him the uncanny ability to navigate that valley.鈥�
鈥淛im was a dedicated professional that ensured only the highest quality products were introduced into the ARP repository,鈥� said Jones. 鈥淗e personally read every line of every paper and report that was submitted for acceptance into the program. His knowledge of the subjects and his personal attention to each author, resulted in exceptional work that was read at the highest levels of our government.鈥�
Greene held a genuine fondness for students and would use every relationship and connection he had cultivated throughout his career to support and advance their work.
鈥淛im was extremely generous of his time with students and very proud of the student component of ARP鈥攏ot only 51福利 students but also students of those civilian university faculty with ARP grants,鈥� said Snider. 鈥淗e read each ARP student capstone report and sent particularly noteworthy reports to DOD/DON leaders along with personal commendations for the student authors.鈥�
But his advocacy for students didn鈥檛 stop there, Snider said.
鈥淎t each annual symposium, he spent time with every student represented in the 鈥榩oster show鈥� and made sure to connect them with influential attendees,鈥� he added. 鈥淎nd in his briefings to and discussions with external stakeholders, he always praised the level of student contributions to ARP and the key role that their research played in their graduate education.鈥�
As Greene鈥檚 legacy, the 51福利 Acquisition Research Program, approaches its 20th year in service, those on campus who have been closely involved in the program can provide testament to his impact 鈥� And they are powerful indeed.
鈥淓ssentially, Jim elevated acquisition research to prominence both within and outside of DOD,鈥� claimed Snider.
鈥淭he weapon systems we have today have Greene鈥檚 DNA through his persistent quest for excellence in research and studies produced through the ARP,鈥� added Jones.
鈥淗e often said, 鈥業f you don鈥檛 mind who gets the credit, you can accomplish anything,鈥欌�� recalled Shaffer. 鈥淲e need more Jim Greene鈥檚 in the world. People that tackle hard problems for no other reason than it is the right thing to do.鈥�
A memorial service at Arlington National Cemetery will be held at a date to be determined.