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DAVID ELMER JEREMIAH

1 March 1990 — 28 February 1994

avid Jeremiah was born on 25 February 1934 in Portland, Oregon.

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He graduated from Lincoln High School in Portland and earned a bachelor of business administration in 1955 from the University of Oregon, Eugene. Jeremiah entered Naval Officer Candidate School and was commissioned an ensign on 30 March 1956. During the next ten years he served on five destroyers in the US Pacific Fleet and rose to lieutenant commander.

From 1966 to 1968 Lieutenant Commander Jeremiah worked in the Surface Electronic Warfare Systems Section in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Fleet Operations and Readiness. During this period he saw that policy was often made through the financial process; so in 1968 he earned a master of science in financial management from George Washington University. After a tour as Executive Officer of the guided missile destroyer USS Joseph Strauss, Commander Jeremiah attended Armed Forces Staff College from August 1970 to January 1971. Four months later he graduated from the program management development course at the Harvard Business School.

Over the next several years, staff assignments alternated with sea duty. In 1971 Jeremiah became an analyst in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Program Analysis and Evaluation. From 1974 to 1976 he commanded the guided missile destroyer USS Preble. In 1976 he headed the Programs, Plans, and Development Branch in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). He was promoted to captain in 1977. From 1979 to 1980, he commanded Destroyer Squadron 24. The following two years he served

Admiral David E. Jeremiah
United States Navy

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Vice Chairman should participate fully in the management and direction of the Joint Staff and in providing military advice to the National Command Authorities. Jeremiah dealt with the services on programs and budgets, with the National Security Council (NSC) Deputies Committee in crisis management, and with the Director of Central Intelligence on intelligence requirements and oversight. Powell relied on Jeremiah as a sounding board and source of advice on a wide range of issues. Thus Jeremiah's influence went well beyond his responsibilities as Chairman of the Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC) and Vice Chairman of the Defense Acquisition Board (DAB) and as the Chairman's representative in the interagency policy-making process. In October 1992, with strong backing from Powell, Congress made the Vice Chairman a full member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

After the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, Admiral Jeremiah worked as a member of the NSC Deputies Committee to orchestrate the military buildup in Saudi Arabia, preserve a diverse coalition, define US objectives, and oversee operations to liberate Kuwait. For his contributions during the Persian Gulf War, he received the President's Citizens Medal.

During both the Bush and Clinton administrations, when the Deputies Committee debated the use of US forces in regional crises in Somalia, Haiti, and Bosnia, Jeremiah opposed such involvement unless it was part of a comprehensive program to address the roots of the crisis in each country. Nevertheless, in 1992, when international famine relief efforts in Somalia were frustrated by Somali warlords and roving bandits, Admiral Jeremiah supported President George H. W. Bush's decision to deploy US forces there in December as part of a relief operation. Operation RESTORE HOPE succeeded in reopening

delivery routes and protecting UN food relief

convoys.

When a United Nations follow-on force took over the operation in May 1993, it lacked a clear chain of command, agreed objectives, and the supporting economic and political support that Admiral Jeremiah persistently advocated, and forces controlled by Somali warlords, notably Mohammed Farah Aideed, resumed their depredations. In June after gunmen ambushed and killed twenty-four Pakistani soldiers, the UN Security Council called for the capture of those responsible for the killings. Together with General Powell, Admiral Jeremiah opposed calls for deployment of Special Operations Forces (SOF) but reluctantly agreed in August after repeated attacks on US troops.

After Powell retired on 30 September 1993, attacks on US forces in Somalia led to a change in US policy. As Acting Chairman until General John Shalikashvili became Chairman on 25 October, Admiral Jeremiah was a key participant in setting a new course. On 3 October 1993, after a successful SOF raid in which important subordinates of Aideed were captured, Somali gunmen shot down two US helicopters. When US troops attempted a rescue, a large force of Somalis pinned down the Americans, killing eighteen and wounding eightyfour. Public reaction led President William J. Clinton to withdraw SOF forces. He set a specific timetable for withdrawal and, at Jeremiah's urging, directed both ground and seabased reinforcement of the remaining forces to stabilize the situation.

Wary of deploying US ground combat troops to areas where no US vital interest was at stake, Admiral Jeremiah also argued within the Deputies Committee against ground operations in Haiti and Bosnia. He recommended multinational efforts to reorganize the Haitian security forces, restore the elected president, and provide developmental aid. Despite his

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