The first female officer to command a major Unified Combatant Command in the United States Armed Forces succeeded a Navy admiral who served as the 23rd commander of what?
William E. Gortney William Evans "Bill" Gortney (born September 25, 1955) is a retired United States Navy admiral who most recently served as the sixth commander of U.S. Northern Command and the 23rd commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). He previously served as the Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command from September 14, 2012 to December 2014 and Director of the Joint Staff from July 1, 2010 to August 2012. Prior to that, he served as Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/5th Fleet. He assumed his post as CDRUSNORTHCOM and commander of NORAD on December 5, 2014, and was succeeded by USAF General Lori Robinson on May 13, 2016.
USS Thomas S. Gates USS "Thomas S. Gates" (CG-51) was a flight-I "Ticonderoga"-class cruiser that was used by the United States Navy. The warship was named after Thomas S. Gates, Secretary of Defense in the last years of the Eisenhower Administration (1959–1961). "Thomas S. Gates" was laid down 31 August 1984 at Bath Iron Works, Maine and sponsored by Anne Gates, widow of the ship's namesake. "Thomas S. Gates" was launched 14 December 1985, purchased 22 June 1987 and was commissioned 22 August 1987 in Philadelphia, PA with Captain Robert Sutton in command. In a break from normal naming conventions for the "Ticonderoga" class cruisers, "Thomas S. Gates" is the only vessel of the class to be named after a person; all of the other cruisers are named after famous battles in American history.