Ronald A. Route

{{Infobox military person

|name= Ronald A. Route

|birth_date= {{birth date and age|1949|10|24}}

|death_date=

|birth_place= Denver, Colorado, U.S.

|death_place=

|placeofburial=

|image= VADMRARoute.jpg

|caption=

|nickname=

|allegiance= {{Flag|United States of America}}

|branch= {{Flag|United States Navy}}

|serviceyears=1971–2008

|rank=23px Vice Admiral

|commands=*{{USS|Dewey|DDG-45}}

{{USS|Lake Erie|CG-70}}
Cruiser-Destroyer Group Two
{{USS|George Washington|CVN-73}} Carrier Battle Group
Navy Warfare Development Command
President of the Naval War College
Naval Inspector General

|unit=

|battles=*Cold War

|awards=*Distinguished Service Medal

Legion of Merit (six awards) with one Silver Star
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal (four awards)
Navy Commendation Medal (three awards) with two Gold Stars
Navy Achievement Medal (two awards) with Gold Star

|relations=

|laterwork=

}}

Ronald A. Route (born October 24, 1949) is a retired Vice Admiral and former Naval Inspector General of the United States Navy and a former President of the Naval War College.{{cite news |title=General/flag officer announcements |newspaper=M2 Presswire |date=June 16, 2004 |url=http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-88581/General-flag-officer-announcements.html |access-date=December 7, 2010}} On July 16, 2013, Vice Admiral Route was named President of the Naval Postgraduate School.{{cite news |title=SECNAV Names New Naval Postgraduate School President |author=Secretary of the Navy Public Affairs |date=July 16, 2013 |url=http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=75398 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107074410/http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=75398 |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 7, 2014 |access-date=July 16, 2013}}

Naval career

A native of Denver, Colorado, Route graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1971, and subsequently completed a series of command and leadership assignments both within the Navy and in the Joint Service arena. He commanded the guided-missile destroyer {{USS|Dewey|DDG-45}}, the guided-missile cruiser {{USS|Lake Erie|CG-70}}, Cruiser-Destroyer Group Two, and the {{USS|George Washington|CVN-73}} Carrier Battle Group. In addition to his afloat commands, he served at sea with Cruiser-Destroyer Group Two and Destroyer Squadron Four, and aboard the guided-missile cruiser {{USS|Halsey|CG-23}}, the frigate {{USS|Roark|FF-1053}}, the guided-missile cruiser {{USS|Wainwright|CG-28}}, and the destroyer {{USS|Barry|DD-933}}.

Ashore, Route commanded the Navy Warfare Development Command (NWDC).{{cite news |title=Route takes over Navy Warfare Development Command |newspaper=Providence Journal |date=September 17, 2002 |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/projo/access/183622701.html?dids=183622701:183622701&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Sep+17%2C+2002&author=&pub=The+Providence+Journal&desc=Route+takes+over+Navy+Warfare+Development+Command&pqatl=google |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104151240/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/projo/access/183622701.html?dids=183622701:183622701&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Sep+17,+2002&author=&pub=The+Providence+Journal&desc=Route+takes+over+Navy+Warfare+Development+Command&pqatl=google |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 4, 2012 |access-date=December 7, 2010}}{{cite book |title=Naval War College Illustrated History and Guide |last=E. Jackson |first=John |author2=Jondavid DuVall |author3=Kimberly Rhoades |year=2009 |publisher=Government Printing Office |page=27 |isbn=9781884733994 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ap_Qzf8oGDwC&q=%22Ronald+A.+Route%22&pg=PA27 |access-date=December 7, 2010}} From 9 July 2003 to 12 August 2004, he was the 50th officer to serve as President of the Naval War College since the college{{'}}s founding in 1884. During his tour as president, he sharpened the college{{'}}s focus on mission and relevance; initiated research, analysis, and wargaming to address key operational concerns of the U.S. Navy such as ballistic missile defense and antisubmarine warfare and established the Halsey Scholars, an advanced research program for selected students; and facilitated discussions between retired Soviet Navy officers and their American counterparts on Cold War naval history.[http://www.usnwc.edu/NWCSite/images/about/NWCPastPresidents.aspx "Past Presidents" page at the Naval War College Web site.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130204150/http://usnwc.edu/NWCSite/images/about/NWCPastPresidents.aspx |date=2010-11-30 }} Route assumed his duties as Naval Inspector General in August 2004 after leaving the presidency of the Naval War College. His other flag assignments included two tours on the Chief of Naval Operations staff, first as Director, Politico-Military Affairs Division (N52) and later as Director, Navy Programming Division (N80), where he developed and prioritized a multi-year spending plan for the Navy's $80–$100 billion annual budget.

Route{{'}}s Pentagon assignments also included Executive Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) for three assistant secretaries in two presidential administrations, Long-Range Planner and Surface Ship Readiness analyst in the Chief of Naval Operations's Program Resource Appraisal Division (now N81), and Naval Warfare Analyst in the Joint Analysis Directorate (now part of J8), within the Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Route retired from the Navy in January 2008 after more than 36 years on active duty.[http://www.stillsecure.com/news_events/prdetails.php?id=481 stillsecure.com "StillSecure Announces Federal Advisory Board with Representatives from Military Branches and Civilian Agencies"] In October 2013, Route became the second civilian president of the Naval Postgraduate School. He presided over the university as it rose from restrictions resulting from a Naval Inspector General's report. Route's accomplishments in moving NPS forward are highly significant. He retired from NPS in January 2019 having made NPS a much stronger university educating military officers, first responders, and Pentagon civilians with masters and doctoral degrees.

Education

Route holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Systems Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and a Master of Science degree in Operations Research from the Naval Postgraduate School. Selected for a Navy Federal Executive Fellowship in 1996, he completed a year-long assignment as a military fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City and subsequently was invited to become a Council member in June 1998.