Jan/Feb 2007
Confident Commander
From his Hampton Roads headquarters, Admiral Nathman guides the Navy both locally and nationwide.
By Michael Jon Khandelwal
While his decorations are numerous, in his office, Admiral John B. Nathman displays go-kart racing trophies and historical photographs and paintings from Naval history. Before he sat down with Hampton Roads Magazine for this interview, he walked around the room, speaking passionately about his interest in Naval history, pointing to each picture on the wall and telling a moving story about the sacrifices of America’s sailors.
Nathman—a 58-year-old San Antonio native—moved into a former 1907 Jamestown Exhibition home at the Norfolk Naval Station with his wife, Karen, in 2005. At that time, he took the helm of the U.S. Fleet Forces Command. His post combines the former Fleet Forces Command and the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, leaving him responsible for more than 210,000 active duty and reserve personnel stationed on more than 150 ships and submarines and at 79 shore assignments.
Throughout his career, he’s held numerous sea, shore and joint assignments and has flown more than 40 different kinds of aircraft, seeing action in Libya in 1986 and during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
As he began to talk about his command’s role in Hampton Roads, he joked around with his staff and filled the room with contagious laughter. His answers suggest a serious demeanor, but also that his passions extend beyond his career, and together, both his personal and vocational lives are fueled by the same determination.
What led you into a career in the Navy?
My dad was in the Air Force, and before that the Army Air Corps. I grew up around Air Force bases and people in uniform, and I didn’t think about much else. I always knew I wanted to be a military pilot and decided that the Navy was the place to fly. I saw this movie called Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo with Spencer Tracy. It was about the launching of the B-25s from the Hornet. What was interesting to me was that the Army Air Corps pilots were very intimidated by the fact they had to fly off an aircraft carrier, and my brain started saying, ‘If it’s hard for them to take off, it must be really hard for them to land.’ I liked the idea of the challenge. So, as a 10-year-old, I started putting those facts together and decided I wanted to fly, and the Navy seemed the logical place—if you wanted to fly off aircraft carriers.
What is your typical day like?
The biggest part is trying to support my staff and commanders in getting things done. You have to have the right rigor in your staffing process. You have to really understand your facts, but I believe you have to deliver. I think my reputation is to get things done—at least I hope that’s the case. A lot of my job is having the right meetings with my commanders. I have wonderful commanders, and I am blessed with a great staff that is really about delivering the right things for the Navy. I’m there to incentivize them and to help them get things done. I also strive for the right balance in travel to make sure I’m seeing things first hand. My typical day is spent corresponding, communicating and giving feedback to my commanders and my staff. They’re in the trenches, and when you’re in the trenches, you work really hard. This command’s about a lot of hard work.
What’s one thing Hampton Roads residents should know about Fleet Forces Command?
For the rest of this interview, see the January/February issue of Hampton Roads Magazine, currently available on newsstands.
