Edmund Giambastiani - Military Career

Military Career

Edmund 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.

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 USS Puffer and USS Francis Scott Key (BLUE). 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 Commendations, 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 US performance it highlighted numerous incidents of friendly fire.