Philip S. Davidson
Philip S. Davidson | |
---|---|
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | United States Navy |
Years of service | 1982–2021 |
Rank | Admiral |
Commands held | United States Indo-Pacific Command United States Fleet Forces Command United States Sixth Fleet Carrier Strike Group 8 USS Gettysburg USS Taylor |
Battles/wars | Gulf War |
Awards | Defense Distinguished Service Medal Navy Distinguished Service Medal (2) Defense Superior Service Medal (2) Legion of Merit (6) |
Spouse(s) | Tracy Davidson[1] |
Relations | Lara Davidson (daughter) |
Philip Scot Davidson (born August 24, 1960) is a retired
On April 24, 2018, the
A
Ashore, Davidson has served in fleet, interagency, and joint tours as a flag officer; he was previously the director of maritime operations at United States Fleet Forces Command, the senior military advisor to the special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (SRAP) at the State Department, and the deputy director for strategy and policy in the J-5 directorate of the Joint Staff. He served earlier in his career in policy, strategy, and operations billets on multiple tours with the U.S. Pacific Fleet staff, the Navy staff, and the Joint Staff, and as the Navy’s military aide to the Vice President of the United States.
Davidson is a distinguished graduate of the
On March 5, 2020, Davidson ordered the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt to conduct its long-scheduled visit to Da Nang, Vietnam. The port call was politically important, to show United States military strength in a region increasingly unnerved by Beijing's growing territorial claims in the South China Sea.[6] However, nearly three weeks prior, on February 14, the United States Navy had ordered all ships in the Indo-Pacific region that had made port calls to quarantine at sea for at least 14 days, the maximum incubation period for the novel coronavirus. The navy also directed the Seventh Fleet headquarters in Yokosuka, Japan to screen everyone accessing the fleet's warships and aircraft. Davidson chose to accept the risk of possible coronavirus infections, and allow the visit to proceed.[7]
Within days of completing the port call, sailors aboard the Roosevelt began testing positive for the coronavirus. By April 13, nearly 600 sailors had tested positive, with one death, 4,000 sailors had been evacuated from the ship, and the ship's commander, Captain Brett Crozier, had been relieved of command.[8]
Awards and decorations
References
- ^ "Nomination Hearing of Adm. Philip S. Davidson". Retrieved May 1, 2021.
- ^ Eckstein, Megan. "SASC Confirms Davidson Nomination as Next PACOM Commander". U.S. Naval Institute. USNI News. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
- ^ "U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Holds Change of Command Ceremony". U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. Public Affairs Communication & Outreach. May 30, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
- ^ "Surface Navy Association's "Old Salt" Award Passed to Adm. Davidson". Archived from the original on October 23, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
- ^ Macchietto, Brooke (May 1, 2021). "FLEET FORCES COMMANDER BECOMES NAVY'S 'OLD SALT'". U.S. Fleet Forces Command. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- ^ Gibbons-Neff, Thomas; Schmitt, Eric; Cooper, Helene; Ismay, John (April 12, 2020). "'There Will be Losses': How a Captain's Plea Exposed a Rift in the Military". The New York Times.
- ^ "US aircraft carrier should never have been sent to Vietnam". April 4, 2020.
- ^ "Sailor aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt dies of coronavirus".
- ^ "Japan defense chief and top U.S. Commander in Pacific vow to deepen security ties". April 12, 2021.
- ^ "(LEAD) Outgoing U.S. Indo-Pacific commander awarded top medal from S. Korea". April 13, 2021.