Commander of US Naval Forces Central Command and Commander of US 5th Fleet in Bahrain, vice admiral Gortney now finds himself a regular in the news; a by-product of America’s fight against Somali piracy.
When US cargo ship captain Richard Phillips was held hostage on a lifeboat by pirates off Somalia last month, Gortney famously described the rescue by a specialist team of navy snipers.
“They were pointing the AK-47s at the captain,” he said, recalling the moment when the hostage-takers were seen by sailors aboard the USS Bainbridge “with their heads and shoulders exposed”.
Three Somali pirates were killed by three single shots from US Navy snipers in what was seen as a highly successful rescue operation. Gortney said the snipers were “extremely, extremely well-trained”.
Gortney graduated from Elon College in North Carolina, earning a bachelor’s degree in history and political science in 1977.
He entered the US navy as an Aviation Officer Candidate (AOC) and received his commission in the US naval reserve in September 1977. He earned his Wings of Gold in December 1978.
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