Patricia Ann Tracey
Encyclopedia
Patricia Ann Tracey was the first American woman to be promoted to the rank of vice admiral
. She retired as a vice admiral in 2004. She held the positions of Chief of Naval Education and Training (CNET) (1996–98), Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
for Military Personnel Policy (1998–2001), and Director of Navy Staff from 2001 until the time of her retirement on October 1, 2004. At that time, she was also the all-time senior-ranking female officer in the United States military.
. She graduated from the Academy of Mount St. Ursula High School
in 1966 and graduated from The College of New Rochelle
with a Bachelor of Arts
degree in Mathematics
, completed Women's Officer Candidate School, and was commissioned as an Ensign
in the U.S. Navy in 1970. She also earned a Master's Degree
, with distinction, in Operations Research
from the Naval Postgraduate School
in Monterey, California
.
where she qualified as a Command Center Officer and Orbital Analyst. Following a tour on the staff of the Commander of the Pacific Fleet
, she served at the Bureau of Naval Personnel
as the Placement Officer for graduate education and service college students. From 1980 to 1982, Tracey served as an extended planning analyst in the Systems Analysis division on the Chief of Naval Operations’
staff. She served as Executive Officer
of the Naval Recruiting District in Buffalo, New York
, until 1984, where she was assigned as a manpower and personnel analyst in the Program Appraisal Division of the Chief of Naval Operations’ staff.
Her first command tour was at the Naval Technical Training Center at Treasure Island, California
, from 1986 to 1988, followed by a staff position with the Chief of Naval Personnel as the head of the Enlisted Plans and Community Management Branch. She served as Commanding Officer of Naval Station Long Beach
, then the second largest homeport of the Pacific Fleet. Tracey became a Fellow with the Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group
at the Naval War College
in 1992. She was assigned as Director for Manpower and Personnel on the staff of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
, serving in this capacity from 1993 to 1995. She subsequently served from June 1995 to June 1996 as Commander, Naval Training Center, Great Lakes
, home of a longstanding Navy boot camp. Tracey was nominated for appointment to the grade of vice admiral
and assignment as Chief of Naval Education and Training (CNET) and Director Naval Training, N7, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations
in the Pentagon
in May 1996. Tracey served in this position from 1996 to 1998. In September 1998, Tracey was assigned as deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Military Manpower and Personnel Policy, the Pentagon
. In June 2001, Tracey was assigned as director, Navy Staff, N09B, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations
, Pentagon
. She retired from this billet on September 2, 2004.
Vice admiral (United States)
In the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, and the United States Maritime Service, vice admiral is a three-star flag officer, with the pay grade of...
. She retired as a vice admiral in 2004. She held the positions of Chief of Naval Education and Training (CNET) (1996–98), Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
United States Secretary of Defense
The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...
for Military Personnel Policy (1998–2001), and Director of Navy Staff from 2001 until the time of her retirement on October 1, 2004. At that time, she was also the all-time senior-ranking female officer in the United States military.
Background
Patricia Ann Tracey was born in The Bronx, New YorkThe Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
. She graduated from the Academy of Mount St. Ursula High School
Academy of Mount St. Ursula High School
The Academy of Mount St. Ursula is a girls’ Catholic college preparatory school, established in 1855 in the East Morrisania section of the Bronx, New York. Since 1892, the school has been located at Bedford Park Boulevard and Bainbridge Avenue, two blocks east of the Grand Concourse, in the Bronx,...
in 1966 and graduated from The College of New Rochelle
The College of New Rochelle
The College of New Rochelle is a private Catholic college with its main campus located in New Rochelle, New York. The College of St. Angela was founded by the Order of the Ursulines as the first Catholic women's college in New York state in 1904, a time when women were generally excluded from...
with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, completed Women's Officer Candidate School, and was commissioned as an Ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
in the U.S. Navy in 1970. She also earned a Master's Degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
, with distinction, in Operations Research
Operations research
Operations research is an interdisciplinary mathematical science that focuses on the effective use of technology by organizations...
from the Naval Postgraduate School
Naval Postgraduate School
The Naval Postgraduate School is an accredited research university operated by the United States Navy. Located in Monterey, California, it grants master's degrees, Engineer's degrees and doctoral degrees...
in Monterey, California
Monterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
.
Navy career
Her initial assignment in the United States Navy was to the Naval Space Surveillance Systems in Dahlgren, VirginiaDahlgren, Virginia
Dahlgren is a census-designated place in King George County, Virginia, United States. The population was 997 at the 2000 census. The community is located within the Northern Neck George Washington Birthplace American Viticultural Area winemaking appellation established by the United States...
where she qualified as a Command Center Officer and Orbital Analyst. Following a tour on the staff of the Commander of the Pacific Fleet
United States Pacific Fleet
The United States Pacific Fleet is a Pacific Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources under the operational control of the United States Pacific Command. Its home port is at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii. It is commanded by Admiral Patrick M...
, she served at the Bureau of Naval Personnel
BUPERS
BUPERS is an acronym for the United States Navy's Bureau of Naval Personnel. Similar to the mission of Human Resources in a corporation, the BUPERS organization serves to provide administrative leadership, policy planning, and general oversight of the Command.The mission statement of BUPERS is:As...
as the Placement Officer for graduate education and service college students. From 1980 to 1982, Tracey served as an extended planning analyst in the Systems Analysis division on the Chief of Naval Operations’
Chief of Naval Operations
The Chief of Naval Operations is a statutory office held by a four-star admiral in the United States Navy, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Navy. The office is a military adviser and deputy to the Secretary of the Navy...
staff. She served as Executive Officer
Executive officer
An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
of the Naval Recruiting District in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, until 1984, where she was assigned as a manpower and personnel analyst in the Program Appraisal Division of the Chief of Naval Operations’ staff.
Her first command tour was at the Naval Technical Training Center at Treasure Island, California
Treasure Island, California
Treasure Island is an artificial island in the San Francisco Bay between San Francisco and Oakland, and an emerging neighborhood of San Francisco....
, from 1986 to 1988, followed by a staff position with the Chief of Naval Personnel as the head of the Enlisted Plans and Community Management Branch. She served as Commanding Officer of Naval Station Long Beach
Long Beach Naval Shipyard
thumb|right|300px|Long Beach Naval Shipyard in 1993The Long Beach Naval Shipyard, which closed in 1997, was located at Terminal Island between the city of Long Beach and the San Pedro district of Los Angeles and approximately 23 miles south of the Los Angeles International Airport.The Long Beach...
, then the second largest homeport of the Pacific Fleet. Tracey became a Fellow with the Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group
Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group
The Chief of Naval 0perations Strategic Studies Group was established by Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Thomas B. Hayward in 1981. The Group is co-located at the United States Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, but receives its direction and makes its reports only to the Chief of...
at the Naval War College
Naval War College
The Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...
in 1992. She was assigned as Director for Manpower and Personnel on the staff of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is by law the highest ranking military officer in the United States Armed Forces, and is the principal military adviser to the President of the United States, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council and the Secretary of Defense...
, serving in this capacity from 1993 to 1995. She subsequently served from June 1995 to June 1996 as Commander, Naval Training Center, Great Lakes
Naval Station Great Lakes
Naval Station Great Lakes is the home of the United States Navy's only boot camp, located near the city of North Chicago, Illinois, in Lake County. Important tenant commands include the Recruit Training Command, Training Support Center and Navy Recruiting District Chicago...
, home of a longstanding Navy boot camp. Tracey was nominated for appointment to the grade of vice admiral
Vice admiral (United States)
In the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, and the United States Maritime Service, vice admiral is a three-star flag officer, with the pay grade of...
and assignment as Chief of Naval Education and Training (CNET) and Director Naval Training, N7, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations
Chief of Naval Operations
The Chief of Naval Operations is a statutory office held by a four-star admiral in the United States Navy, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Navy. The office is a military adviser and deputy to the Secretary of the Navy...
in the Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
in May 1996. Tracey served in this position from 1996 to 1998. In September 1998, Tracey was assigned as deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Military Manpower and Personnel Policy, the Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
. In June 2001, Tracey was assigned as director, Navy Staff, N09B, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations
Chief of Naval Operations
The Chief of Naval Operations is a statutory office held by a four-star admiral in the United States Navy, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Navy. The office is a military adviser and deputy to the Secretary of the Navy...
, Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
. She retired from this billet on September 2, 2004.
Awards and decorations
Tracey's awards include:
Defense Distinguished Service MedalDefense Distinguished Service MedalThe Defense Distinguished Service Medal is a United States military award which is presented for exceptionally distinguished performance of duty contributing to national security or defense of the United States...
Navy Distinguished Service MedalNavy Distinguished Service MedalThe Navy Distinguished Service Medal is a military award of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps which was first created in 1919. The decoration is the Navy and Marine Corps equivalent to the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, and the Coast...
Legion of MeritLegion of MeritThe Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
(third award)
Meritorious Service MedalMeritorious Service Medal (United States)The Meritorious Service Medal is a military decoration presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguished themselves by outstanding meritorious achievement or service to the United States subsequent to January 16, 1969...
(third award)