Admiral William Owens (Ret.)
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Biography
Owens began his career as a nuclear submariner. He served on four strategic nuclear-powered submarines and three nuclear attack submarines, including tours as commanding officer aboard the USS Sam Houston and USS City of Corpus Christi. Owens spent a total of 4,000 days (more than 10 years) aboard submarines, including duty in Vietnam.
Owens was a senior military assistant to Secretaries of Defense Frank Carlucci and Dick Cheney, and director of the Office of Program Appraisal for the Secretary of the Navy. He also served as the deputy chief of naval operations for resources, warfare requirements and assessments from 1991 to 1993. Owens served as commander of the United States Sixth Fleet from 1990 to 1992, including during Operation Desert Storm. President Clinton appointed him the second-ranking military officer in the United States and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in March 1994. He retired in 1996. In April 2000, Owens co-authored Lifting the Fog of War with Edward Offley.
