| William D. Byrne Jr. | |
| Nickname: | Bill |
| Birth Name: | William Declan Byrne Jr.[1] |
| Birth Place: | Pacifica, California |
| Branch: | United States Navy |
| Serviceyears: | 1987–2022 |
| Rank: | Rear Admiral |
| Commands: | U.S. Naval Forces Korea Carrier Strike Group 11 Carrier Strike Group 15 |
| Awards: | Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit (5) |
| Spouse.: | Amy Donovan Byrne |
William Declan Byrne Jr. is a retired United States Navy rear admiral who last served as director of warfare development (N72) in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.[2] [3] He previously served as the vice director of the Joint Staff.[4] [5] [6] Byrne also served as the 85th Commandant of Midshipmen of the United States Naval Academy from May 2013 to June 2015.[7] [8]
Byrne attended the United States Naval Academy, graduating in 1987 with a B.S. degree in political science. While there, he was a record-setting starting quarterback for three football seasons.[9] Byrne later earned an M.S. degree in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in 2004.
| Surface Warfare Officer Pin | |||
| Defense Superior Service Medal | |||
| Legion of Merit with four gold award stars | Meritorious Service Medal with two award stars | Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with three award stars | |
| Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal | Joint Meritorious Unit Award | Navy Unit Commendation | |
| Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation | Navy "E" Ribbon with two Wreathed Battle E devices | Navy Expeditionary Medal | |
| National Defense Service Medal with one bronze service star | Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal | Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal | |
| Global War on Terrorism Service Medal | Korea Defense Service Medal | Humanitarian Service Medal | |
| Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with six service stars | Naval Reserve Sea Service Ribbon | Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon with two service stars | |
| Navy Accession Training Service Ribbon | Order of National Security Merit, Cheonsu Medal (Korea) | Navy Expert Pistol Shot Ribbon | |
| Command at Sea insignia | |||
| Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge | |||
In 2015, Byrne was selected as a co-recipient of the Distinguished American Award by the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame.[10]