[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 108 (Thursday, August 1, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7890-S7891]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 TRIBUTE TO VADAM THOMAS R. WILSON, USN

 Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, it is with great pleasure that I 
rise today to pay tribute to a great sailor, patriot, husband and 
father, VADM Thomas Ray Wilson. By the time we return from our August 
recess, this great sailor will have officially retired from active 
service on August 30, 2002, having faithfully and loyally served his 
country around the globe for over 33 years. Admiral Wilson ends his 
active service having served at the pinnacle of military intelligence 
as the 13th Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency.
  Born in Columbus, OH, Admiral Wilson is a 1968 graduate of Ohio State 
University. He joined the Navy at the height of the Vietnam conflict, 
and received his commission as an ensign in March 1969, following 
completion of Navy Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI.
  Throughout his extraordinary military career Admiral Wilson 
distinguished himself as a candid innovator, a patient, creative 
teacher; and a great leader. His early assignments included watch 
officer and analytical and command briefing positions in the Taiwan 
Defense Command in Tapei, Taiwan, and in the Defense Intelligence 
Agency. Subsequent duties ashore and afloat included assignment on the 
USS Kitty Hawk; as the operational intelligence officer with the 
Iceland Anti-submarine Warfare Group; duty with Carrier Air Wing Three 
embarked in USS Saratoga; and force intelligence officer for Commander, 
Patrol Wings Atlantic in Brunswick, ME.
  Recogizing his potential to serve the Navy and the Nation in 
positions of

[[Page S7891]]

great responsibility, the Navy selected Admiral Wilson to serve as 
Commander, Task Group 168.3 in Naples, Italy, where, under his 
leadership, this unit earned the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation. 
After this successful tour, Admiral Wilson moved on to Yokuska, Japan, 
where he served as the Fleet Intelligence Officer and Assistant Chief 
of Staff for Intelligence, U.S. Seventh Fleet, embarked in U.S.C. Blue 
Ridge.
  After returning to the United States, Admiral Wilson served in a 
variety of senior positions in Washington, DC, and the Norfolk, VA 
area, including Director of Fleet Intelligence, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, 
and as Director of Intelligence, J2, U.S. Atlantic Command, where he 
was deeply involved in the planning and execution of operations to re-
establish freedom and democracy in Haiti in 1994.
  Admiral Wilson has served in the most senior military intelligence 
positions in our Government since 1994, including Vice Director for 
Intelligence, J2 on the Joint Staff in the Pentagon; as the Associate 
Director of Central Intelligence for Military Support within the 
Central Intelligence Agency; and, as the Director for Intelligence, J2 
on the Joint Staff in the Pentagon. In these positions Admiral Wilson 
was intimately involved in the planning and execution of virtually all 
U.S. military operations around the world in the past 8 years. In the 
process, he has gained the personal respect and confidence of two 
Presidents, three Secretaries of Defense, four Chairmen of the Joint 
Chiefs of Staff, and countless Members of Congress. As Admiral Vern 
Clark, Chief of Naval Operations, who was Director of the Joint Staff 
when Admiral Wilson was the J2, noted at Admiral Wilson's retirement 
ceremony recently, ``When Tom Wilson spoke, we listened.'' In 
conversations I have had with colleagues in the Senate and with 
numerous Defense officials who interacted with Admiral Wilson, there 
was uniform consensus--his analysis was thorough, his judgment was 
clear and his instincts were flawless.
  In July 1999, Admiral Wilson moved on to his last and most 
challenging active duty post as the 13th Director of the Defense 
Intelligence Agency and, symbolically, the chief of military 
intelligence for all of our Armed Forces. His 3-year tenure at the 
Defense Intelligence Agency was marked by the same innovativeness, 
commitment to excellence and selfless service to Nation that 
characterized his entire military career. He reshaped the Agency to 
ensure that it was meeting the 21st century demands of our senior 
military and civilian leaders and that it was postured to respond to 
the rapidly evolving challenges our Nation will face in the years 
ahead.
  Admiral Wilson's outstanding leadership qualities were never more 
apparent than during the Defense Intelligence Agency's most difficult 
hour--the September 11 attack on the Pentagon. His crisis management 
abilities were critical in the hours that followed--both in accounting 
for members of the Agency, and in positioning the Agency to provide 
critical threat data in the immediate aftermath of the attack. The 
Defense Intelligence Agency lost seven members in the Pentagon attack, 
with five others seriously injured. Admiral Wilson's personal contact 
with each family who lost a loved one, and with the five surviving 
members in the days and weeks that followed was most appreciated and 
highlighted the selfless concern for others this remarkable sailor has 
always demonstrated. His concern for family members and his outreach to 
the workforce were critical to holding the Agency together as it worked 
its way through the aftermath of the attack. His leadership was 
absolutely key to ensuring warfighters and policymakers obtained the 
best possible support as the Nation began to respond. The success of 
our forces in the global war against terrorism is a testament to the 
quality of effort given by the Defense Intelligence Agency under the 
able leadership of ADM Tom Wilson.
  Throughout his career, Admiral Wilson has displayed unmatched 
dedication to providing the highest quality intelligence support to the 
warfighter and senior defense officials. His leadership has helped 
transform the military intelligence community into a joint, 
interoperable, technologically advanced federation that is postured to 
support the challenges of today and tomorrow. His personal commitment 
to the intelligence community, to the Navy, and to our Nation is of the 
highest, most commendable order.
  I wish to extend my gratitude and appreciation to VADM Tom Wilson and 
his wife of 33 years, Ann, for their friendship, their sacrifice, and 
for the remarkable service they have provided to our Nation, our Navy, 
and to the countless young people whose lives they have touched in such 
a remarkably selfless and positive way. On behalf of a grateful Nation, 
I want to sincerely thank Tom and Ann Wilson for serving so faithfully 
and so well. As they end their active service with the Navy, I wish 
them success and happiness in retirement and future endeavors. As a 
fellow sailor, I wish them fair winds and following seas--
Godspeed.

                          ____________________