Joseph Aucoin
# Joseph Aucoin

Joseph P. Aucoin (born April 25, 1957) is a retired officer of the United States Navy and former commander of the United States Seventh Fleet.

## Career

Vice Admiral Aucoin graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and received his commission through the University of North Carolina Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps program in 1980. He was designated a naval flight officer in 1981 and reported to Fighter Squadron 101 (VF-101) for initial training in the F-14 Tomcat.

He has served in five different Fleet and Fleet Replacement Squadron F-14 fighter squadrons, to include command of VF-41. He is a graduate of the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) and has also commanded Carrier Air Wing Five (CVW-5), Carrier Strike Group Three (CSG-3), and was Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfare Systems before taking command of U.S. 7th Fleet.

He is also an Arthur S. Moreau Scholar and holds master's degrees in Public Administration from Harvard University and in National Security Studies and Strategic Affairs from the Naval War College.

Speaking at West 2017 Conference in February 2017, Aucoin stated, "If there's a fight tonight, it's probably going to happen on the Korean Peninsula."

Following a collision between the Seventh Fleet destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) and an oil tanker, the second such collision that resulted in fatalities in two months (see also USS Fitzgerald and MV ACX Crystal collision), as well as lesser incidents involving USS Lake Champlain (CG-57) and USS Antietam (CG-54), Aucoin was relieved of his command on August 23, 2017, by Vice Admiral Phillip G. Sawyer, deputy commander of the United States Pacific Fleet, due to "loss of confidence in his ability to command."

## Awards and decorations

Naval Flight Officer insignia :

| Navy Distinguished Service Medal with one gold award star | | Silver Star |
| - | - | - |
| Legion of Merit with three award stars | Distinguished Flying Cross with Combat V | Bronze Star with award star |
| Defense Meritorious Service Medal | Meritorious Service Medal with award star | Air Medal with two award stars, Combat V and bronze Strike/Flight numeral 8 |
| Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat V and three award stars | Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with two award stars | Joint Meritorious Unit Award with one bronze oak leaf cluster |
| Navy Unit Commendation with one bronze service star | Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation | Navy "E" Ribbon with two Battle "E" devices |
| Navy Expeditionary Medal | National Defense Service Medal with service star | Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with service star |
| Southwest Asia Service Medal with two service stars | Kosovo Campaign Medal | Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal |
| Armed Forces Service Medal | Humanitarian Service Medal | Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with two silver and one bronze service stars |
| Navy & Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon with two service stars | NATO Medal for the former Yugoslavia | Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia) |
| Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait) | Navy Expert Rifleman Medal | Navy Expert Pistol Shot Medal |
| Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge |||
