In 2009 Michelle Howard took command of Expeditionary Strike Group Two, becoming the first African
American woman to lead a U.S. Navy battle group.
For many officers in the Navy, reaching this point would have been a career high point
before retirement, but for Michelle Howard, this was only one of her many major accomplishments
that makes her stand out as one of the Navy’s finest sailors.
Near the end of her career, on July 1, 2014, Howard became a four-star admiral on the same
day she began her service as the 38th Vice Chief of Naval Operations.
Michelle Howard was born on April 30th, 1960 at a U.S. Air Force base in California.
Like so many other American heroes, her family had a history of military service that inspired
her to serve in the Navy after graduating high school in 1978.
Howard attended the US Naval Academy, graduating in 1982.
It was during her first deployments in the late 1980s aboard USS Hunley and USS Lexington
that Howard began to stand out to Navy command.
During the Navy’s involvement in Desert Shield and Storm, Howard served as Chief Engineer
aboard USS Mount Hood.
She served on one more ship before becoming the executive officer on USS Tortuga in 1996,
giving her the first real taste of command.
In 1998, Howard attended the United States Army’s Command and General Staff College,
where she obtained a Master of Military Art and Science, after which she became the first
African American woman in the Navy’s history to command a ship, USS Rushmore.
Rushmore was deployed in support of troops in the Middle East and played a vital role
in one of the largest humanitarian relief efforts following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
and tsunami.
Howard’s prowess as a leader was unmatched and her skills as a naval operations commander
had proven her worthy of more responsibilities.
On September 1st, 2007, Howard was promoted to Rear admiral (lower half), becoming the
first female graduate of the Naval Academy to reach flag rank.
In 2009 she took command of Expeditionary Strike Group Two and oversaw its deployment
to the Middle East in support of the U.S. war on terrorism aboard USS Wasp.
During this deployment, Howard directed the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips of the
shipping vessel Maersk Alabama, which was preserved in popular culture in the movie
Captain Phillips.
Only a week into her deployment at this point, Howard’s excellence as a commander was tested
immediately.
She looked back on the experience, saying, “that’s an eye-opening way to start a
new job…
Synchronizing that kind of might and capability was pretty amazing.”
In 2010, Howard oversaw U.S. Naval operations in the Baltic as Maritime Task Force commander
under the U.S. 6th fleet.
On August 24, 2012, she became the first Black woman promoted to three-star rank in the Armed
Forces.
On the same day, Howard became deputy commander of Fleet Forces Command based in Norfolk,
Virginia.
By July 2014, Howard was up for promotion again, becoming the first woman four-star
admiral and Vice Chief of Naval Operations.
As the second highest-ranking officer in the Navy, she reported directly to the Chief of
Naval Operations and was appointed to her position by then-President Barack Obama.
She served in this capacity for nearly two years before shifting to command U.S. Naval
Forces Europe, then Africa, then finally serving as the commander of the Allied Joint Force
Command Naples.
In 2017, Michelle Howard retired from the U.S. Navy having had one of the most successful
careers of any sailor.
Here is a clip of Michelle Howard reflecting on her career in an interview conducted after her retirement:
As of the release of this video, there are four women of color in command of U.S. naval ships, all
directly a legacy of Michelle Howard’s trailblazing efforts over the past three decades.
Certainly, Michelle Howard will be remembered for much more than the rank she achieved.
Howard was one of the Navy’s premiere leaders and demonstrated the best the U.S. has to
offer.