Steven A. White
Encyclopedia
Steven Angelo White is a retired four-star admiral from the United States Navy
. He was the 19th and last Chief of Naval Material
.
. Afterward, he went to Occidental College
. He studied there for two years before changing to the University of Southern California
in Naval ROTC. While there, he obtained a Bachelors degree in Political Science and a Masters degree in International Law.
in the United States Navy. White served on the in the Korean War
. A year and a half later, White was moved to Submarine School and became a Lieutenant (J.G.) shortly afterward. Post-graduation, he was the Engineering Officer on the for two years. He underwent Nuclear Power Training, and, after its completion, went aboard the , the first nuclear-powered submarine. He was a Nautilus conning officer when it reached the North Pole; it was the first ship to ever do so. Due to this remarkable achievement, White, his fellow crew, and the ship were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. This was the first time the award was given during peace time. In 1960, White was assigned to the . There, he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander. He was aboard the ship when it conducted the Christmas Island
Test, the first and only fully operational test of a submarine launching a strategic missile with a warhead.
From 1964-1966, White was the Force Nuclear Power Training Officer, at first for Deputy Commander Submarine Force, but later for Commander Submarine Force for the U.S. Atlantic Fleet
. In 1966, White became a Commander and led the nuclear submarine five months later. While in that position, the ship received two awards - Meritorious Unit Citation
and the Navy Unit Commendation
. From 1969 to 1970, White led the Submarine Division One Hundred Two. For a few months, he was also leader of Submarine Division One Hundred One. He was an Assistant for Training and Personnel Matters for almost two years. While doing so, he became a Captain. Captain White led Submarine Squadron Sixteen for two years in Rota, Spain. Following the completion of this, White was designated Rear Admiral. He was also Deputy Chief of Material (Operations and Logistics), and later Assistant Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Submarine Warfare) for another almost two years. At the end of this time (in 1980) Rear Admiral White was promoted to Vice Admiral and Commander of Submarine Force U.S. Atlantic Fleet
. He served in that way until June 1983, when he was nominated for Admiral, whereupon, he traveled to Washington, D.C. to work as Chief of Navy Material. This put him in charge of the Navy's $30 billion annual procurement budget, and sometimes brought him into conflict with Secretary of the Navy
John Lehman
. The office was abolished (in 1985) after he retired.
, and by December 1985 he had been offered a job restructuring the nuclear power division of the TVA
. (That year, the TVA had shut its five nuclear reactors because it was thought they would not meet Nuclear Regulatory Commission safety requirements —the TVA brought in the former admiral to turnaround the division.) The salary and hiring restrictions for TVA management personnel were unacceptable to White, so he was made a contract manager, paid indirectly through Stone & Webster (with a $355,200 annual salary that made him "the highest-paid worker in the federal government"). The General Accounting Office concluded that White's position, normally filled by a government employee, could not be paid in excess of $72,500, and that he could not do it while drawing a federal pension. The United States Office of Government Ethics
said in June 1986 that White was breaking federal conflict of interest
laws, by hiring employees of his own employer and (in some cases) granting a 10% administrative fee to a company that he had set up for contracts that he himself had awarded. In October 1986 Ron Wyden
, then a House Oversight Committee member, called for White's resignation.
White said that, because he was a fixed-contract Stone & Webster employee, he neither violated federal pay agreements not had an incentive to promote Stone & Webster staff, and that he was "pissed as hell" that one of his Stone & Webster hires into the TVA executive had written a memo recommending that "62%" of the remaining TVA nuclear division vacancies be filled by further Stone & Webster staff.
In November 1986 an independent counsel appointed by the TVA said that his actions were entirely legal, In January 1987, the Office of Government Ethics ruled that awarding contracts to a company in which he had a financial interest had violated Federal laws, but that a new $355,200 annual contract with Adm. White could be approved with new "ethics guidelines".
He remained head of the TVA nuclear program until November 1988, leaving with the agency's praise, despite conflict with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
on the accuracy of information he provided them (concerning the status of the TVA's nuclear plants) —charges that were dismissed. On November 10, 1988, the TVA's Sequoyah PWR Unit I
resumed supplying nuclear power to the electrical grid.
In 2004
he joined 120 other retired US flag officers in signing an open letter that condemned John Kerry's vote against a funding bill for US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. He appeared at the 2004 Republican National Convention
to endorse the reelection of president George Bush. He did not endorse McCain in the 2008 election.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. He was the 19th and last Chief of Naval Material
Office of Naval Material
In January 1942 the Director of Material and Procurement was appointed to coordinate all material procurement activities of the US Navy. In 1948 the office title was changed to Chief of Division of Material, and in 1984 to Chief of the Office of Naval Material. In 1983 title was changed to Naval...
.
Background
In 1946, White graduated from Verdugo Hills High SchoolVerdugo Hills High School
Verdugo Hills High School is a public school located in the Tujunga community of Los Angeles, California, United States within the Los Angeles Unified School District....
. Afterward, he went to Occidental College
Occidental College
Occidental College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887, Occidental College, or "Oxy" as it is called by students and alumni, is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges on the West Coast...
. He studied there for two years before changing to the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
in Naval ROTC. While there, he obtained a Bachelors degree in Political Science and a Masters degree in International Law.
Naval career
In 1952, White graduated from USC and received a commission to EnsignEnsign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
in the United States Navy. White served on the in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. A year and a half later, White was moved to Submarine School and became a Lieutenant (J.G.) shortly afterward. Post-graduation, he was the Engineering Officer on the for two years. He underwent Nuclear Power Training, and, after its completion, went aboard the , the first nuclear-powered submarine. He was a Nautilus conning officer when it reached the North Pole; it was the first ship to ever do so. Due to this remarkable achievement, White, his fellow crew, and the ship were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. This was the first time the award was given during peace time. In 1960, White was assigned to the . There, he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander. He was aboard the ship when it conducted the Christmas Island
Kiritimati
Kiritimati or Christmas Island is a Pacific Ocean raised coral atoll in the northern Line Islands, and part of the Republic of Kiribati....
Test, the first and only fully operational test of a submarine launching a strategic missile with a warhead.
From 1964-1966, White was the Force Nuclear Power Training Officer, at first for Deputy Commander Submarine Force, but later for Commander Submarine Force for the U.S. Atlantic Fleet
U.S. Atlantic Fleet
The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...
. In 1966, White became a Commander and led the nuclear submarine five months later. While in that position, the ship received two awards - Meritorious Unit Citation
Meritorious Unit Citation
The Meritorious Unit Citation is a collective group decoration awarded to members of Australian military units. It recognises sustained outstanding service in warlike operations...
and the Navy Unit Commendation
Navy Unit Commendation
The Navy Unit Commendation of the United States Navy is an award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944...
. From 1969 to 1970, White led the Submarine Division One Hundred Two. For a few months, he was also leader of Submarine Division One Hundred One. He was an Assistant for Training and Personnel Matters for almost two years. While doing so, he became a Captain. Captain White led Submarine Squadron Sixteen for two years in Rota, Spain. Following the completion of this, White was designated Rear Admiral. He was also Deputy Chief of Material (Operations and Logistics), and later Assistant Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Submarine Warfare) for another almost two years. At the end of this time (in 1980) Rear Admiral White was promoted to Vice Admiral and Commander of Submarine Force U.S. Atlantic Fleet
ComSubLant
Commander, Submarine Force Atlantic is the type commander for U.S. submarines in the Atlantic Fleet. Established on 7 December 1941, Rear Admiral Richard S. Edwards was assigned as the first Force Commander. U.S. submarine operations in the Atlantic, however, go back to before the First World War...
. He served in that way until June 1983, when he was nominated for Admiral, whereupon, he traveled to Washington, D.C. to work as Chief of Navy Material. This put him in charge of the Navy's $30 billion annual procurement budget, and sometimes brought him into conflict with Secretary of the Navy
United States Secretary of the Navy
The Secretary of the Navy of the United States of America is the head of the Department of the Navy, a component organization of the Department of Defense...
John Lehman
John Lehman
John F. Lehman, Jr. is an American investment banker and writer who served as Secretary of the Navy in the Reagan administration and in 2003–04 was a member of the 9/11 Commission....
. The office was abolished (in 1985) after he retired.
Manager of nuclear power, Tennessee Valley Authority
Shortly after leaving the Navy, White joined the engineering consultancy Stone & WebsterStone & Webster
Stone & Webster is an American engineering services company based in Stoughton, Massachusetts. Stone & Webster was founded as an electrical testing lab and consulting firm by electrical engineers Charles Stone and Edwin Webster in 1889. It was acquired by The Shaw Group in 2000. The company...
, and by December 1985 he had been offered a job restructuring the nuclear power division of the TVA
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
. (That year, the TVA had shut its five nuclear reactors because it was thought they would not meet Nuclear Regulatory Commission safety requirements —the TVA brought in the former admiral to turnaround the division.) The salary and hiring restrictions for TVA management personnel were unacceptable to White, so he was made a contract manager, paid indirectly through Stone & Webster (with a $355,200 annual salary that made him "the highest-paid worker in the federal government"). The General Accounting Office concluded that White's position, normally filled by a government employee, could not be paid in excess of $72,500, and that he could not do it while drawing a federal pension. The United States Office of Government Ethics
United States Office of Government Ethics
The United States Office of Government Ethics is a separate agency within the executive branch of the U.S. Federal Government which is responsible for directing executive branch policies relating to the prevention of conflicts of interest on the part of Federal executive branch officers and...
said in June 1986 that White was breaking federal conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
laws, by hiring employees of his own employer and (in some cases) granting a 10% administrative fee to a company that he had set up for contracts that he himself had awarded. In October 1986 Ron Wyden
Ron Wyden
Ronald Lee "Ron" Wyden is the senior U.S. Senator for Oregon, serving since 1996, and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 to 1996....
, then a House Oversight Committee member, called for White's resignation.
White said that, because he was a fixed-contract Stone & Webster employee, he neither violated federal pay agreements not had an incentive to promote Stone & Webster staff, and that he was "pissed as hell" that one of his Stone & Webster hires into the TVA executive had written a memo recommending that "62%" of the remaining TVA nuclear division vacancies be filled by further Stone & Webster staff.
In November 1986 an independent counsel appointed by the TVA said that his actions were entirely legal, In January 1987, the Office of Government Ethics ruled that awarding contracts to a company in which he had a financial interest had violated Federal laws, but that a new $355,200 annual contract with Adm. White could be approved with new "ethics guidelines".
He remained head of the TVA nuclear program until November 1988, leaving with the agency's praise, despite conflict with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is an independent agency of the United States government that was established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 from the United States Atomic Energy Commission, and was first opened January 19, 1975...
on the accuracy of information he provided them (concerning the status of the TVA's nuclear plants) —charges that were dismissed. On November 10, 1988, the TVA's Sequoyah PWR Unit I
Sequoyah Nuclear Generating Station
The Sequoyah Nuclear Plant is a nuclear power plant located on 525 acres located 7 miles east of Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee, and 20 miles north of Chattanooga, abutting Chickamauga Lake, on the Tennessee River. The facility is owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority .The...
resumed supplying nuclear power to the electrical grid.
Retirement
After he left the TVA, White remained in demand for civilian plant management because of his independence, know-how, and aggressive leadership.In 2004
United States presidential election, 2004
The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
he joined 120 other retired US flag officers in signing an open letter that condemned John Kerry's vote against a funding bill for US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. He appeared at the 2004 Republican National Convention
2004 Republican National Convention
The 2004 Republican National Convention, the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States, took place from August 30 to September 2, 2004 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York...
to endorse the reelection of president George Bush. He did not endorse McCain in the 2008 election.