MSC vice commander makes Navy history

By Trish Larson

Vice Adm. David L. Brewer III, USN, Commander, Military Sealift Command, readministers the oath of office to Rear Adm. Deborah A. Loewer, USN, Vice Commander, Military Sealift Command, during a pinning ceremony held Oct. 31. Cmdr. Walt East, CHC, USN, (left) as well as Rear Adm. Loewer’s parents, Marilyn and Hubert Loewer, and sister, Kathleen Sladen proudly look on as Rear Adm. Loewer makes Navy history, becoming the first warfare-qualified female officer to be promoted to admiral. Barry Lake photo

The U.S. Navy marked a history-making milestone on Oct. 31 as Rear Adm. Deborah A. Loewer, USN, Vice Commander, Military Sealift Command, was recognized as the service's first warfare-qualified woman to be promoted to admiral.

The promotion, which became official on Oct. 1, was formally recognized during a pinning ceremony at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial in Arlington, Va. Vice Adm. David L. Brewer III, USN, Commander, Military Sealift Command, presided at the event where Rear Adm. Loewer, a Surface Warfare Officer, donned new shoulder boards, as well as a new uniform jacket with sleeves that carry the symbolic thick gold stripes of a rear admiral.

Rear Adm. Loewer's selection to flag rank is the culmination of nearly 27 years of impressive leadership experience at sea and ashore, as well as several pioneering inroads into a traditionally male-dominated Navy career field, that of Surface Warfare Officers. She commanded Navy ships at sea and served in top military assignments at the White House Situation Room, the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Office of the Deputy Secretary of Defense.

Throughout her naval career, Rear Adm. Loewer pursued a distinguished postgraduate academic program. She was selected as an Olmsted Scholar and studied at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, Calif., and the Goethe Institute in Stuttgart, Germany. Upon graduation, she earned a PhD. in International Law from the University of Kiel in Kiel, Germany, in 1986.

Rear Adm. Loewer's career began in the mid-1970s at a time when women were barred by law from serving aboard Navy ships. Since then, she has accumulated several record-breaking firsts for female and male naval officers alike, beginning with her graduation as the top female student at the male-dominated Officer Candidate School in Newport, R.I., in 1976 where she was commissioned an ensign. She graduated second in a class of 110 students after serving as the first female battalion commander at OCS.

Early in the admiral's career, new federal legislation opened a small number of shipboard duty opportunities for women. Rear Adm. Loewer was part of an elite cadre of female Navy officers who, for the first time ever, were selected to pursue a seagoing career leading to command at sea. As a lieutenant (junior grade) she was among the first female Navy officers selected for training at the Navy's Surface Warfare Officer School in Newport, R.I., and she graduated first in her class in 1979.

Rear Adm. Loewer made history again in 1979 as one of the first women officers assigned to shipboard duty, serving as a lieutenant (junior grade) aboard the Navy destroyer tender USS Yosemite as electrical division officer, operations officer, navigator and administrative officer.

During the next two decades, Rear Adm. Loewer continued her solid track record of success ashore and at sea, including assignments as a lieutenant commander aboard destroyer tender USS Yellowstone, where she served as engineer and executive officer, and aboard fleet oiler USS Monongahela, where she served as executive officer. Her exceptional performance led to her selection for command at sea, a crowning accomplishment for a Navy Surface Warfare Officer. As a Navy commander, she served as the commanding officer of ammunition ship USS Mount Baker from 1993 to 1995 and at the rank of captain, the commanding officer aboard the fleet oiler USS Camden from 1998 to 2000.

Since the mid-1990s, Rear Adm. Loewer has been handpicked for prestigious assignments ashore, including the military assistant to Deputy Secretary of Defense John P. White from 1995 to 1997 and military assistant to Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen from 1997 to 1998. In September 2000, she was specially requested for a return tour of duty as the military assistant to Secretary Cohen. A year later, she assumed duties as Director, White House Situation Room and Director, Systems and Technical Planning Staff. She was selected for admiral while she was in this position. She became vice commander of Military Sealift Command last July.

Rear Adm. Loewer's personal awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal (two awards), Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal (two awards), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (three awards), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (two awards), Joint Meritorious Unit Award (two awards), Navy Unit Commendation (two awards), Navy "E" Ribbon (four awards), National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon (two awards), Coast Guard Special Operations Ribbon and the NATO Medal.