Vice Admiral John Aquilino
Commander, Naval Forces Central Command, United States Navy
Graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1984, earning a BSc in Physics, Vice Admiral Aquilino then earned his wings in 1986. Operationally, he has served in numerous fighter squadrons flying the F-14 A/B Tomcat and the F-18 C/E/F Hornet. He has accumulated more than 5,100 mishap-free flight hours and over 1,150 carrier-arrested landings. Prior to assuming his current duties in September 2017, Vice Admiral Aquilino served as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Operations, Plans and Strategy (N3/N5). His earlier flag assignments include Director of Strategy and Policy (J5), U.S. Joint Forces Command; Deputy Director, Joint Force Coordinator (J31), the Joint Staff; Commander, CSG-2, and; Director of Maritime Operations, U.S. Pacific Fleet (N04). Vice Admiral Aquilino had extended deployments in support of Operations Deny Flight, Deliberate Force, Southern Watch, Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
Vice Admiral Aquilino’s served with the Ghost Riders of Fighter Squadron (VF) 142 and Black Aces of VF-41 and commanded the Red Rippers of VF-11, Carrier Air Wing 2, and Carrier Strike Group 2. Ashore, Vice Admiral Aquilino’s assignments have included flying the A-4, F-5, and F-16N aircraft as an instructor; Operations Officer of Strike Weapons and Tactics School; Aide to the Vice Chief of Naval Operations; Special Assistant for Weapons Systems and Advanced Development in the Office of Legislative Affairs; Director of Air Wing Readiness and Training for Commander, Naval Air Forces, Atlantic Fleet, and; EA to Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces. He is a graduate of the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) and the Joint Forces Staff College, and his major awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, and Air Medal.