[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 58 (Thursday, April 22, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E626]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   TRIBUTE TO VICE ADMIRAL SIR ALAN MASSEY, KCB, CBE, ADC-ROYAL NAVY

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                            HON. IKE SKELTON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 22, 2010

  Mr. SKELTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Vice Admiral Sir 
Alan Massey, Second Sea Lord of the Royal Navy, on the occasion of his 
visit to the United States and in anticipation of his impending 
retirement from active duty following over three decades of service in 
the Royal Navy.
  Throughout a long and distinguished career, Vice Admiral Massey has 
consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership, stewardship and 
unwavering commitment to members of the Royal Navy, and for this alone 
he deserves recognition and admiration. But it is his many years of 
friendship and cooperation with the Armed Forces of the United States 
for which I pay tribute to this exceptional naval officer.
  Over the course of his career, Vice Admiral Massey has commanded a 
destroyer, a frigate, and two aircraft carriers. In the wake of the 
terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, as a key 
ally in Operation Enduring Freedom, he led operations against the 
Taliban in Afghanistan while in command of HMS ILLUSTRIOUS. 
Additionally, at the onset of Operation Iraqi Freedom, while commanding 
HMS ARK ROYAL, Vice Admiral Massey led the successful coalition 
amphibious assault into southern Iraq as part of Operation TELIC. In 
recognition of his exceptional performance, he was appointed Commander 
of the Order of the British Empire on the United Kingdom's Operational 
Honours List.
  Vice Admiral Massey has served in the Ministry of Defence, United 
Kingdom, on four occasions and has held two appointments on NATO 
Headquarters staffs. He served as Assistant Chief of the Royal Naval 
Staff, responsible for representing the maritime case in the Ministry 
of the Defence, while concurrently planning the Navy's future and 
coordinating its public communications strategy and outreach activity. 
In an earlier assignment, Vice Admiral Massey led the Operations 
division of the United Kingdom's Permanent Joint Headquarters, 
responsible for the conduct of joint military operations in all current 
theatres, including Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans.
  Vice Admiral Massey has a first class Honours degree from the 
University of Liverpool, and is a graduate of the Royal Naval Staff 
College and the Royal College of Defence Studies. Selected for 
promotion to Vice Admiral in July 2008, he was appointed as Second Sea 
Lord, equivalent to our United States Chief of Naval Personnel, and 
concurrently serves as Commander-in-Chief, Naval Home Command and Flag 
Aide-de-Camp to Her Majesty the Queen. During the Queen's Birthday 
Honours of 2009, Vice Admiral Massey was appointed a Knight Commander 
of the Order of Bath.
  I ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to rise with me to 
thank Vice Admiral Sir Alan Massey for his service to the Royal Navy 
and for his long and distinguished career in support of the mutual 
interests of the United Kingdom and the United States. We wish him fair 
winds and following seas as he closes his military career and assumes 
his new duties as Chief Executive of the Maritime and Coastguard 
Agency. We also wish Vice Admiral Massey, his wife Julie and their four 
children, James, Annabel, Tom and Sally, much success, infinite 
happiness and good health in the days ahead.

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