Retired United States admiral
Terry B. Kraft
is a retired
rear admiral
of the
United States Navy
, formerly commanding the U.S. Naval Forces Japan.
[1]
He is a
Naval Flight Officer
whose previous commands include
Electronic Attack Squadron 131 (VAQ-131)
,
USS
Shreveport
(LPD-12)
, and
USS
Ronald Reagan
(CVN-76)
.
Education
[
edit
]
Kraft is a 1981 graduate of the
United States Naval Academy
; he earned a master's degree in political science from
Auburn University
and is a graduate of the Navy
Nuclear Power School
.
[2]
He was a federal executive fellow at
John F. Kennedy School of Government
at
Harvard University
(1999?2000).
Career
[
edit
]
Kraft, commanding officer of USS
Ronald Reagan
, interviewed in January 2007
Kraft's sea duty tours include the following:
He also served as executive officer on
USS
Theodore Roosevelt
(CVN-71)
. During those tours, he participated in Operations
El Dorado Canyon
,
Desert Storm
,
Iraqi Freedom
(OIF) and
Enduring Freedom
(OEF).
Kraft, as commanding officer of
USS
Ronald Reagan
, throws out the
ceremonial first pitch
prior to a
May 2007 San Diego Padres
baseball game honoring the ship.
Kraft commanded Electronic Attack Squadron 131, Amphibious Transport Dock
USS
Shreveport
(LPD-12)
, the aircraft carrier
USS
Ronald Reagan
(CVN-76)
, and the
Enterprise Carrier Strike Group
(CSG-12). He participated in both OIF and OEF during all four tours. He assumed command of Navy Warfare Development Command in October 2011.
Shore tours for Kraft have included duty in VA-128,
Air Command and Staff College
, Current Operations Directorate (J31),
U.S. Pacific Command
, and the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Cambridge, Massachusetts. After flag selection, he reported to
the Pentagon
, Chief of Naval Operations staff, first in N88 as head of Maritime Aviation, Unmanned Aerial Systems and Aviation Training Plans and Programs, then in N2/N6 as director, ISR Capabilities.
Kraft had over 3700 hours and 1000 carrier arrested landings in the
A-6E
,
EA-6B
and
F/A-18
F aircraft.
[2]
Fat Leonard scandal
[
edit
]
Kraft was implicated in a wide-ranging corruption scandal known as the "
Fat Leonard scandal
." Kraft and other high-ranking officials were censured for their conduct during the 2006 deployment of the USS
Ronald Reagan
. The Navy said the officers showed "very poor judgement and leadership regarding [their] relationship with Mr. Leonard Francis, the president of Glenn Defense Marine Asia."
[3]
[4]
Further statements from the Navy stated that Kraft merely underpaid after attending dinner parties. Although the Navy eventually referred the cases to the Justice Department, legal action was not pursued due to the statute of limitations.
[4]
In July 2015, he was forced to retire after 34 years of service.
[4]
Post-military
[
edit
]
After retiring from the Navy, Kraft worked at
General Atomics
from 2015 to 2023 in senior leadership and management positions. As of 2023, he is the CEO of the
USS
Midway
Museum
.
[5]
Awards and decorations
[
edit
]
As of 2015, Kraft is authorized to wear the
Legion of Merit
with four gold stars,
Distinguished Flying Cross
(with
combat V
), the
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
, the
Meritorious Service Medal
with two gold stars and multiple individual and strike-flight
Air Medals
.
[2]
References
[
edit
]
This article incorporates
public domain material
from websites or documents of the
United States Navy
.
- ^
"Rear Admiral Terry B. Kraft"
. the United States Navy.
- ^
a
b
c
"Rear Admiral Terry B. Kraft, Commander, Navy Warfare Development Command, Norfolk"
.
US Navy Biographies
.
United States Navy
. 13 October 2011. Archived from
the original
on March 4, 2016
. Retrieved
2012-03-24
.
- ^
Cavas, Christopher (11 February 2015).
"3 Admirals Censured in 'Fat Leonard' Scandal"
.
Defense News
. Retrieved
12 October
2015
.
- ^
a
b
c
Larter, David (18 July 2015).
"Navy rebukes 3 admirals for accepting dinners, gifts"
. Navy Times
. Retrieved
28 December
2016
.
- ^
"Meet the USS Midway Museum's New CEO, Rear Admiral Terry Kraft"
.
KUSI News
. April 6, 2023
. Retrieved
June 19,
2023
.