Robert Thomas Moeller – Vice Admiral, United States Navy

ROBERT THOMAS MOELLER
Vice Admiral, USN (Retired)

On March 28, 2011. Beloved husband of Mary (Sparks) Rejent-Moeller; father of Kate and Laura Moeller. Survived by one sister, two brothers, Carole Durkin, Dan and Ken Moeller. Friends may call at EVERLY-WHEATLEY FUNERAL HOME, 1500 W. Braddock Rd., Alexandria, VA on Friday, April 1, 2011 from 5 to 8 p.m. Interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made to ALS Association of Greater Washington.

Admiral Moeller was laid to rest with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery on 27 July 2011.

Vice Admiral Robert T. Moeller assumed duties as the Deputy For Military Operations, U.S. Africa Command August 2007.

Moeller, a New Jersey native and son of a World War II Navy veteran, graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1974 receiving his commission from the Notre Dame NROTC program.

Trained as a surface warfare officer, Moeller has served in a variety of sea and shore assignments, including joint duty. At sea, his assignments included USS Albany (CG 10), flagship for Commander, 2nd and 6th Fleets, where he served as talos fire control officer and boilers officer; USS Julius A. Furer (FFG 6); combat systems and material officer on the staff of Commander, Destroyer Squadron 36; USS Valley Forge (CG 50) as pre-commissioning engineer officer; USS Belknap (CG 26), flagship for Commander, 6th Fleet, as both executive officer and later commanding officer (CO) and USS Port Royal (CG 73) as CO.

His CO tour in Belknap included initial Partnership for Peace operations, United Nations/North Atlantic Treaty Organization Operations Provide Promise and Deny Flight, and the first Navy visits to Odessa, Ukraine and Novorossiysk, Russia. During his command of Port Royal, the ship received her third and fourth consecutive Battle E awards, and installed and employed Linebacker, the Navy’s first TBMD capability.

Ashore, Moeller has served in OPNAV in the Systems Analysis Division (OP 96) as surface ASW and IUSS analyst; the Program Resource Appraisal Division (OP 91) as Net Assessment analyst; SECNAV Office of Program Appraisal (OPA) as Surface Warfare and C4I analyst; OSD’s Office of Director Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) as Maritime Warfare analyst; and CO, Surface Warfare Officers School.

In 1989, Moeller was selected as the Navy Federal Executive Fellow at the Brookings Institution. He has earned a master’s degree in National Security Studies from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University.

Moeller served as deputy chief of staff for Operations, Plans, Policy and Training (N3N5N7) and as director for Operations (J3), Joint Task Force (JTF) – 519 for the Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet from May 2001 through August 2003 and as commander, Cruiser Destroyer Group 1/Commander, Ronald Reagan Strike Group from August 2003 through August 2004. Moeller served as the director, Strategy, Plans and Policy (J5) and as special assistant to the Commander, U.S. Central Command from August 2004 through August 2007.

Moeller’s awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with two Gold Stars, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with two Gold Stars, and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with a Gold Star.

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard