Vice Admiral George P. Nanos, USN (Ret.)
Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command
Then...
Pete’s Trident Scholar research was titled, "The Diffraction of Microwaves in a Circular Aperture of Depth Greater than One Wavelength."
...& Now
Vice Admiral George P. Nanos Jr., a native of New Hampshire, attended public schools in Bedford and Manchester, graduating from high school as a National Merit Scholar in 1963. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, where he conducted independent research in physics and was awarded the Harry S. Ward Trident Scholar’s Prize for 1967. Following graduation from the academy, he spent two years at sea as ASW and gunnery officer aboard USS GLENNON (DD-840) before entering Princeton University where in 1974 he received his doctorate in physics under the Burke Program.
Returning to sea, Vice Admiral Nanos served as engineer officer aboard USS FORREST SHERMAN (DD-931) and as material officer on the staff of Destroyer Squadron Ten. During a subsequent tour as the manager for technical development in the Navy’s High Energy Laser Program office (NAVSEA PMS-405), he was selected as an engineering duty officer in 1980.
Vice Admiral Nanos served as the combat systems officer in Norfolk Naval Shipyard before again returning to sea as the engineer officer aboard USS AMERICA (CV-66). Following this tour, he was assigned as the deputy director, warfare systems engineering at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command.
Since 1988, Vice Admiral Nanos has served in Strategic Systems Programs. From October 1988 until the first TRIDENT II deployment in the spring of 1990, he was Head of the Navigation Branch, responsible for ship’s inertial navigation for fleet ballistic missile submarines. He was then reassigned as Head of the Missle Branch, where he was the senior manager responsible for development, production and operational support of the missile subsystems of the Navy’s Strategic Weapons Systems-POLARIS, POSEIDON, and TRIDENT.
In July of 1992 Vice Admiral Nanos was assigned as Director, Technical Division, Strategic Systems Programs, where he was accountable for all aspects of the development, production and operational support of the Navy’s Strategic Weapons Systems for fleet ballistic missile submarines.
Vice Admiral Nanos then assumed the position as Director, Strategic System Programs in Jne 1994. He was responsible for all aspects of research, development, production, logistics, storage, repair, and operational support of the Navy’s Fleet Ballistic Missile Weapon Systems, which include the TRIDENT I and TRIDENT II missiles and their associates hipboard subsystems. He was also the U.S. project officer responsible for managing U.S. government support of the British Polaris/Trident Force.
In 1999, Vice Admiral Nanos received his third star and became commander, Naval Sea Systems Command where he was responsible for design, development and logistics support for all navy ships and shipboard weapons systems. In this position, he oversaw four nuclear repair shipyards, 10 defense laboratory divisions with more than 20,000 employees and over $23 billion in ship and weapons systems procurements, logistics and repairs.
Vice Admiral Nanos’ service education includes U.S. Naval Destroyer School at Newport, Rhode Island; Engineering Duty Officer basic and mid-career courses; the Senior Officer Ship Material Readiness Course at Idaho Falls, Idaho; and the Program Management Course at the Defense Systems Management College, Fort Belvoir, Virginia. His specialty as an Engineering Duty Officer is ordnance and weapons system acquisition.
Vice Admiral Nanos wears the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal (5 awards), and the Navy Achievement Medal (2 awards).