Edmund Giambastiani Edmund P . Giambastiani , Jr . ( born May 4 , 1948 ) is a retired United States Navy admiral who served as the seventh Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2005 to 2007 . He retired in 2007 , after 37 years of service . Early life and education . Giambastiani was born on May 4 , 1948 in Canastota , New York . He graduated from the United States Naval Academy with leadership distinction in 1970 . He has been awarded numerous decorations . Career . Giambastiani ' s operational assignments have included several in which he was responsible for both demanding at - sea operations and the development of new technologies and experimental processes . Early sea assignments included and the s blue crew . While assigned to USS " Puffer " , he was a 1973 winner of the Fleet Commander ’ s Junior Officer Submarine Shiphandling Competition . He commanded the NR - 1 Deep Submergence Craft , the Navy ' s only nuclear powered deep diving ocean engineering and research submarine and USS " Richard B . Russell " , where the crew was awarded three consecutive Battle Efficiency “ E ” s , three Navy Unit Commendation s , and two Fleet Commander Silver Anchors for excellence in enlisted retention . Giambastiani also led Submarine Development Squadron Twelve , an operational submarine squadron that also serves as the Navy ' s Warfare Center of Excellence for submarine doctrine and tactics . Established in 1949 , Submarine Development Squadron Twelve is the oldest experimental unit of its kind in the U . S . military . He served as the first director of strategy and concepts at the Naval Doctrine Command , as well as Commander , Atlantic Fleet Submarine Force ; Commander , Submarines Allied Command Atlantic ; and Commander , Anti - Submarine and Reconnaissance Forces Atlantic in Norfolk , Virginia . Giambastiani ' s other shore and staff assignments include duties as an enlisted program manager at the Navy Recruiting Command Headquarters , Washington , D . C . , in the early days of the all volunteer force ; Special Assistant to the Deputy Director for Intelligence , Central Intelligence Agency ; and , a fellowship with the Chief of Naval Operations ' Strategic Studies Group . As a flag officer , he served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Resources , Warfare Requirements and Assessments for the Commander , U . S . Pacific Fleet ; Director of Submarine Warfare for the Chief of Naval Operations ; Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Resources , Requirements , and Assessments ; and as the Senior Military Assistant to Secretary of Defense Donald H . Rumsfeld . His previous assignment was as NATO ’ s first Supreme Allied Commander Transformation ( SACT ) and as Combatant Commander of United States Joint Forces Command , where he led the transformation of NATO and U . S . military forces , capabilities and doctrines and the introduction of new technologies , from October 2 , 2002 to August 1 , 2005 . In 2003 , in his capacity as " chief of Joint Forces Command " , Giambastiani published a " " lessons learned " report " . While generally praising U . S . performance it highlighted numerous incidents of friendly fire . Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff . On August 12 , 2005 , Admiral Giambastiani was sworn in as the seventh Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , becoming the third naval officer to hold that position . As Vice Chairman , Admiral Giambastiani chaired the Joint Requirements Oversight Council , co - chaired the Defense Acquisition Board , and served as a member of the National Security Council Deputies Committee , the Nuclear Weapons Council and the Missile Defense Executive Board . In addition , he worked with the Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon R . England as Co - Chair of the Deputies Advisory Working Group , which oversees implementation of the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review and other high level Departmental business issues . On May 4 – 6 , 2007 , he visited Tunisia , meeting with high - ranking military and civilian officials , including his Tunisian counterparts and Tunisian Foreign Minister Abdelwaheb Abdallah and Defense Minister Kamel Morjane . He went to the North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial on the outskirts of Tunis to pay his respects to fallen U . S . soldiers who had died there during the Tunisia campaign of World War II . On June 1 , 2007 , Giambastiani announced his retirement from the military to spend more time with his family and pursue other ventures . He retired on July 27 , 2007 . Personal life . Giambastiani ' s personal interests include amateur radio , for which he uses the call sign N4OC . He also currently serves as a guiding coalition member of the Project on National Security Reform . He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Mitre Corporation . On October 8 , 2009 , Airplane maker Boeing Co . announced that Giambastiani Jr . had been elected to its board of directors , effective immediately . " The Seattle Times " reports that " In a statement , Boeing chairman and chief executive Jim McNerney indicated that the addition of Giambastiani , who was the second - highest ranking officer in the U . S . military , is intended [ . . . ] to boost Boeing ' s influence with the Pentagon . " Awards and decorations . Medals and ribbons . His decorations include numerous personal and unit decorations , medals and ribbons including :