Vice Admiral John S. Redd, USN (Ret.)

Scotty hails from the “Corn Belt” of Iowa, bringing to the Academy a happy disposition and a typical Iowan drive to do a job just a little bit better than the next fellow. In this, he succeeds admirably well. His grades place him in the top half percent of his class, and his extracurricular activities are manifold. Scotty is active in religious affairs both at the Academy (NACA and OCU) and at home. To many of his friends around the world he is know as “K0DQI Scotty” and with this identity he leads in the activities of W3ADO, the Brigade Radio Club. He is a Battalion Honor Representative and on the tennis and pistol teams as well. Scotty and the Navy have many fine and mutually rewarding years ahead of them. We wish him the best of luck.

John’s Trident Scholar research was titled, “Steady State Analysis of Electrical Circuits Excited by Non-Sinusoidal Voltages."

...& Now

The Honorable John Scott Redd ’66 is a leader of military organizations, private industry and federal government.

Perhaps Redd’s greatest contributions have been standing up and leading two organizations central to national security—the Fifth Fleet and the National Counterterrorism Center.

As commander of Naval Forces, Central Command and the Fifth Fleet, the Navy’s first new fleet since World War II, Vice Admiral Redd commanded forces involved in seven real world operations involving Iraq, Iran and Somalia.

As the first Senate-confirmed director of the National Counterterrorism Center in Washington, DC, from 2005 to 2007, Redd regularly briefed President George W. Bush and participated in National Security Council meetings. He led efforts in integrating and analyzing foreign and domestic terrorism intelligence and developed the nation’s first war plan for the global war on terror.

At the Naval Academy, Redd was a Trident Scholar, graduating second in his class. After graduation, he continued his studies as a Fulbright and Burke scholar and earned a master of science degree in operations analysis with highest honors. He also attended the program for senior executives at MIT.

During his 36 years of active duty service, Vice Admiral Redd commanded eight organizations at sea. His first command, KING, was honored as the top cruiser/destroyer in the Atlantic Fleet. Other commands included Destroyer Squadron Thirty-six, the Standing Naval Force Atlantic and EISENHOWER Carrier Battle Group. Shore tours in the Pentagon included service as military assistant/chief of staff to two Under Secretaries of Defense and, from 1996 to 1998, as director of Strategic Plans and Policy on the Joint Staff.

In 1999, Redd took over the NetSchools Corporation, serving as CEO, president and ultimately chairman. He transformed the education technology startup’s business model, raised $55 million in venture capital funding and managed its successful sale in 2002.

He served as deputy administrator and COO of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq in 2004 and then as executive director of the presidential commission on weapons of mass destruction, which drafted the President’s blueprint for intelligence community reform.

In 2009, Redd was presented the Presidential National Security Medal by President Bush as one of his last official acts in office. Other awards include five Distinguished Service Medals and the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal.

He has served as his USNA class president, an Alumni Association Trustee, a Distinguished Graduate Award selection committee member and a Forrestal lecturer.