Rear Admiral James J. Shannon
Commander, Naval Surface Warfare Center
United States Navy
Department of Defense (DoD)

Rear Admiral James J. Shannon, a native of San Francisco’s Noe Valley District, graduated from the U. S. Naval Academy with the Class of 1981. He assumed command of Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) in October 2008. This command, geographically situated across the United States at various Warfare Center divisions, is comprised of an approximate 14,000 member workforce that is part of the Naval Sea Systems total command structure. NSWC is responsible for development, test and evaluation of all surface ship systems. He is also the executive manager for explosive ordnance disposal technology and training across all branches of military.

Shannon’s operational experience spans across the 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 7th Fleets, and seven afloat commands, with his early assignments primarily in engineering billets including two chief engineer tours. He was also the executive officer onboard the guided missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG-62) and he commanded the guided missile frigate USS <>Estocin (FFG-15). He deployed with Estocin to South America in support of Operation Unitas (XLII). He also commanded USS Samuel Eliot Morison (FFG-13) for a brief period and coordinated the transfer of that ship to the Turkish navy.

Shannon is a member of the Acquisition Corps. He served as the director of Development, Test and Acceptance of the Evolved Seasparrow Missile and later became the project manager for the Naval Integrated Fire Control-Counter Air Project. As a major program manager, he commanded the Future Combat Systems Open Architecture program (PEO IWS 7.0).

Shannon has significant experience ashore on the following staffs: Surface Warfare Officer’s School as a tactics instructor; the Joint Staff as a communication systems analyst in support of the Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC) and the Navy Secretariat as the executive assistant to the Assistant Secretary (Research, Development and Acquisition).

Education beyond the Naval Academy includes a Master of Science degree from the Naval Post Graduate School, Monterey, Calif., and a Master of Arts degree from the College of Naval Warfare, Newport, R.I. Shannon is also a national security management fellow of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, N.Y. He is level III certified in program management from the Defense Acquisition University, Fort Belvoir, Va.

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