Department of Leadership, Ethics, and Law
Cangelosi

Captain Diana T. Cangelosi, USN (Ret)

Class of 1968 Sr. Military Instructor of Leadership

  •  Phone: (410) 293-6027
  •  E-mail: cangelos@usna.edu
    •   Department of Leadership, Ethics, Law,Luce Hall(Mail Stop 7-B) 112 Cooper Road Annapolis, MD 21402-5022

A native of Wilmette, Illinois, Captain Cangelosi graduated from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana with a Bachelor of Science degree and was commissioned as an Ensign via the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps in January 1981.

Captain Cangelosi reported for flight training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida in May 1981. Successfully completing basic Naval Flight Officer (NFO) training at Training Squadron TEN (VT-10), flying the T-2C Buckeye, she was then selected for further training in jet aircraft, only the second woman NFO to do so. Her completion of the intermediate and advanced jet navigation syllabus in the T-2C, T-39A Saberliner and the TA-4J Skyhawk aircraft at both VT-10 and Training Squadron EIGHTY SIX, resulted in her designation as a Naval Flight Officer in August 1982.

Further training at the Airborne Electronic Warfare Officer's School at Corry Station, Florida and qualification in the TA-3B Skywarrior at Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron THIRTY THREE (VAQ-33), prepared her for assignment to a newly established sister squadron, VAQ-34, at Naval Air Station Point Mugu, California. Flying as a simulated "aggressor" in support of fleet electronic warfare training, Captain Cangelosi flew over 1000 hours in the ERA-3B & KA-3B versions of the Skywarrior and in the EA-7L Corsair II.

From October 1986 to October 1989, Captain Cangelosi served as a satellite communications officer for the Director of Operations, U.S. Space Command in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Captain Cangelosi volunteered for and was selected to transition to the EP-3E electronic reconnaissance aircraft as soon as that mission became available to women aviators. She was assigned to Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron ONE (VQ-1) homeported in Guam, in April 1990 and was soon deployed to Manama, Bahrain in support of Operations DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM. She flew combat missions in the EP-3E Aries and served as the Assistant Detachment Coordinator in Bahrain from September 1990 until March 1991.

After attending the Atlantic Fleet Tactical Training Course and the Strike Leaders Attack Course, Captain Cangelosi reported to VQ-2 in Rota, Spain in December 1992 where she flew the EP-3E Aries and Aries II in support of NATO Operations DENY FLIGHT and PROVIDE PROMISE over the former Yugoslavia.

Captain Cangelosi then served as the Director of Naval Aviation History and the Editor of the Navy's oldest periodical, Naval Aviation News at the Navy Yard, Washington D.C. from July 1995 to October 1997.

Selected for command, Captain Cangelosi reported to the Navy Recruiting District, San Antonio and took over as its Commanding Officer on April 4, 1998. During her tenure, she led the 240 members of the "Alamo Team" from one of the lowest ranked of 31 districts to one of the top five, garnering Region West's Most Improved District of the Year for 1999 and the Admiral's Excellence Award for Most Improved District. Many of the Sailors, Officers and civilians under her command achieved numerous regional and national recruiting awards prior to her Change of Command in March of 2000.

Following technical training at Naval Station, Norfolk, Virginia, Captain Cangelosi reported to the USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (CVN-71) for duty as the ship's Combat Direction Center Officer. As such, she was responsible for all of the ship's defensive weapons systems and the input and display of all radar, tactical and satellite data to both the Admiral's staff and the ship's Tactical Action Officers and weapons systems operators. During her tenure, the ship won the Operations Department "Green E" for warfare excellence which contributed greatly to CVN-71's honor as the Atlantic Fleet's "Battle E" winner for 2001. On September 19, 2001, the USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT deployed in support of OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM, remaining continuously at sea for a record-setting 159 day period.

Captain Cangelosi attended the National War College at Ft. McNair, Washington D.C. as a member of the class of 2003 and received a Master of Science Degree in National Security Strategy in June of that year. She was promoted to her present rank on 1 August 2002.

After a brief assignment on the Staff of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs following graduation, Captain Cangelosi was selected in November 2003 to become the Chief of the Open Skies Division of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Ft. Belvoir, VA. In addition to flights in the US OC-135 Open Skies aircraft, she and her team of joint aviators have flown in several foreign aircraft to implement the 34 nation Open Skies Treaty, including the Russian Tu-154, Bulgarian and Ukrainian An-30, Hungarian An-26, United Kingdom Andover C Mk1, Turkish CASA-235 and the NATO C-130.

Captain Cangelosi's previous experience in satellite communications prepared her to lead the men and women of the Naval Satellite Operations Center (NAVSOC) as their Commanding Officer from November 2006 until November 2008. The NAVSOC team performed over 178,000 satellite operations critical to the support of joint warfighters at a success rate of over 98 percent while flying 17 satellites in five constellations.

For her final tour, Captain Cangelosi was selected as a Special Assistant to the Superintendent, U.S. Naval Academy. She served as the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator for over 4,400 midshipmen and 900 members of the faculty and staff. Like most of her senior officer colleagues, she was also an instructor for the course: Ethics and Moral Reasoning for Naval Leaders which is taught to all Third Class (sophomore) Midshipmen. Captain Cangelosi was transferred to the retired list on 01 May 2011.

Captain Cangelosi's personal decorations include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal, four Meritorious Service Medals, two Aerial Achievement Medals, Joint Service Commendation Medal, two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, the Air Force Achievement Medal and numerous unit commendations and campaign medals. She has accumulated over 2700 hours in fifteen aircraft types and models.

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