Richard W. Butler

Richard W. Butler
Born
Richard Wallace Butler

1959 (age 66–67)
Military career
Branch
 United States Navy
Service years
1982–2016
Rank
Rear Admiral Lower Half
CommandsVFA-25
CVW-14
Joint Task Force Guantanamo
Carrier Strike Group 4

Richard W. Butler is a retired aviator and officer in the United States Navy.

He was the commandant of Joint Task Force Guantanamo from July 2013 to July 2014.

Butler went on record as supporting President Barack Obama's plan to close the detention camp.

Butler later served as the commanding officer of Carrier Strike Group 4 before retiring from active duty in 2016.

Earlier in his career, Butler commanded Strike Fighter Squadron 25 and Carrier Air Wing 14.

Butler is a 1982 graduate of the University of Kentucky. He later earned a master's degree from the National War College.

References

  1. ↑ "PN673 — Navy". U.S. Congress. 1993-10-25. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
  2. ↑ Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy on Active Duty. Bureau of Naval Personnel. 1990-10-01. p. 90. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
  3. 1 2 Carol Rosenberg (2016-11-17). "Navy sending new commander to run President Trump's Guantánamo prison". Miami Herald. Retrieved 2016-11-17.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "United States Navy biography: Rear Admiral Richard W. Butler". United States Navy. 2016-03-02. Archived from the original on May 25, 2017. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
  5. ↑ Jason Leopold (2013-12-12). "New Guantanamo commander supports closing facility". Guantanamo Bay: Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2016-11-17. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Navy Rear Adm. Richard Butler, commander of Joint Task Force-Guantanamo, said he agreed with Obama's pledge to shut down the detention facility, which in a month will mark 12 years since the first prisoners arrived, and has so far cost taxpayers $5 billion.