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                                   Rear Admiral Stanley W. Bryant, United States Navy, Retired


 

               A native of Detroit, Michigan, Stanley W. Bryant enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve in 1964 and retired as a Rear Admiral in August 2001 after 37 years of military service.  The majority of his career was spent at sea flying tactical aircraft, primarily the A-6 Intruder, from aircraft carrier decks and he commanded several large operational Navy units.

After graduation from the United States Naval Academy and receiving a commission as an Ensign in June 1969, he was designated a Naval Flight Officer in March 1970.  He flew 137 combat missions over Vietnam from the deck of USS Enterprise, CVA(N)-65, served in VA-65, and commanded the Warhorses of VA-55, standing the squadron up in October 1983.  VA-55 won the Battle “E” and the McCluskey Award in its first year of competition following commissioning. Upon completion of the Navy’s Nuclear Power Training Course in 1987, he went on to become both the Executive Officer and Commanding Officer of the Pre-Commissioning Unit for the USS Abraham Lincoln, CVN-72.  Command of the USS Ponce (pronounced Pon-say) (LPD-15) and USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) followed with the TR winning the Battle “E”, the Battenburg Cup and the Golden Anchor under his command in 1993.

            Promoted to Flag rank in July 1994, Rear Admiral Bryant commanded the Iceland Defense Force in Keflavik, Iceland and returned to Norfolk to command Carrier Group Four from August 1996 to December 1998.  A tour as the Atlantic Fleet Requirements Director (N8) was followed by assumption of the duties of Deputy Commander-in-Chief of U.S. Naval Forces, Europe in London, the post from which he retired in August 2001.

Rear Admiral Bryant followed his Navy years with a six-year career in the defense industry.  His last position was International Business Development Executive for Raytheon’s Integrated Defense Systems (IDS).  He was, previously, the Business Development Director for Future Naval Capabilities in IDS, including Raytheon’s three billion-dollar DDG 1000 contract.  He came to Raytheon from Lockheed Martin where he was the Director, Naval Aviation Programs.  In this capacity he was the corporate business development field representative for the promotion of aviation programs with the Navy and he was charged with keeping the Joint Strike Fighter Program sold with the Fleet.  His first employment in the civilian sector was with the Institute for Defense Analyses, where he directed the Norfolk office of the Institute’s Joint Advanced Warfighting Program (JAWP) and was the principle liaison between JAWP and the United States Atlantic Command in promoting joint service experimentation and the operationalization of new warfighting technologies. 

            Rear Admiral Bryant has been privileged to serve with teams that excelled in combat operations, and he has been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, three Distinguished Flying Crosses (combat awards), the Individual Air Medal (combat award), eight Strike/Flight Air Medals (combat awards), the Defense Superior Service Medal, four Legions of Merit, two Meritorious Service Medals and nineteen other personal, service, and campaign awards representing the exceptional service of those teams.  He is one of only two Americans to be presented the Order of the Falcon by the Government of Iceland, its second highest civilian award.  In his military aviation career, he accrued 1058 carrier arrested landings and over 4000 hours in military aircraft. 

          Rear Admiral Bryant is now President of IDDEAS, LLC. where he is an independent military and aerospace consultant, leadership and motivational speaker, and seminar leader.  He is also a Council Member/Expert at Gerson Lehrman Group Council,  a licensed civilian pilot and AOPA member, a life member of the Navy League of the United States and a member of the Tailhook Association.  Additionally, he is a facilitator and guest speaker for the U.S. Naval Academy’s Capstone Leadership and Ethics Program given to Midshipmen in their fourth year at the Academy.  Rear Admiral Bryant was honored by being named his high school’s Distinguished Graduate for 2017, one of only eight graduates so awarded up to that time.  He has co-authored Five Star Leadership Handbook.

        

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