Trump picks Oklahoman for Navy leadership role
President Donald Trump has announced his intention to nominate retired Rear Adm. Gregory J. Slavonic, Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford’s chief of staff, to serve as an assistant secretary of the Navy for manpower and reserve affairs.
If confirmed, his responsibilities would include overseeing recruiting and examining manpower issues and challenges for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, Slavonic said. Oversight responsibilities would include both active and reserve duty military personnel, government civilians, contractors and volunteers.
Slavonic said much of his time likely would be spent making sure reserve forces are properly aligned to meet the nation’s needs and ensuring good cooperation between active duty and reserve forces. Working with private employers to make sure they remain supportive of the reserve military personnel who work for them in civilian life also will be an important part of his job, he said.
Slavonic was one of 88 retired admirals and generals who announced their support for Trump during his presidential campaign, signing a letter that was made public in September 2016.
Slavonic said he later met Trump in person in Selma, N.C., where Slavonic was one of 17 admirals and generals and seven Medal of Honor recipients who appeared on stage with Trump at a Nov. 3, 2016, rally.
Early support for Trump was likely important in helping secure the nomination, Slavonic said.
Slavonic, 68, said he hopes to be able to have a positive impact on the Navy once his nomination is confirmed.
“I believe that the Navy has some real challenges from a training perspective and I would very much like to see how I can help the Navy regarding some of the training that I think maybe the past administration didn’t really provide the necessary leadership,” Slavonic said. “With the ship accidents and the plane accidents, a lot of reports I’ve read, there are some real challenges in our training and the pipeline we’re putting sailors and our leadership through.”
“The other side is I’d like to somehow have an impact on the culture because we’ve got a lot of senior officers, I feel, who maybe aren’t being the leaders that they need to be,” he said. “I don’t know what has changed in our culture to create some of these incidents where senior leaders are falling down on what they need to do as leaders in our Navy.”
Lankford said he is highly supportive of Slavonic’s nomination.
“Rear Adm. Greg Slavonic is the model of public service,” Lankford said of the man who has served as Lankford’s chief of staff for the past three years.
“He has dutifully served our nation in the Navy, and he has served the people of Oklahoma as my chief of staff,” Lankford said. “His leadership will be missed on our team, but he will be a tremendous asset to the Navy. I fully support his nomination and look forward to Greg continuing his distinguished career as assistant secretary of the Navy.”
Born in Great Bend, Kansas, Slavonic said he moved to Oklahoma at a young age and grew up in The Village and north Oklahoma City, near Penn Square.
“I went to two different Catholic grade schools, Christ the King and Bishop John Carroll, and then I graduated from Bishop McGuinness in 1967,” he said.
Prior to joining Lankford’s office, Slavonic was a senior leader at Computer Sciences Corporation, where he planned and executed several nationwide U.S. Navy community outreach engagements.
Slavonic also served as executive director of the Jim Thorpe Association and as president of Flag bridge Strategic Communications, a consulting company focused on strategic communications and leadership.
Slavonic’s resume also includes working jobs in sales and marketing at The Daily Oklahoman, The Journal Record, Oklahoma Gazette and KFOR-4 in the metro area. Slavonic enlisted in the U.S. Navy in June 1971 and later spent many years in the Navy reserves before retiring in 2005 after a 34-year career that included combat deployments.
He originally enlisted as a seaman recruit and was promoted through the ranks to rear admiral after repeatedly distinguishing himself through exemplary service.
During his Navy career, he held four command assignments and served in combat deployments to Vietnam, Operation Desert Shield/Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
He was awarded numerous decorations, including the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Presidential Unit Citation, and Combat Action Ribbon.
Slavonic earned a bachelor of science degree from Oklahoma State University and master of education degree from the University of Central Oklahoma, where he was recognized with a Distinguished Alumni Award.