Eugene H. Black III
Vice Admiral Eugene H. Black III (born c. 1964) is an active duty United States Navy officer and career surface warfare officer who has been serving as the 30th Commander of U.S. Sixth Fleet, deputy commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe, deputy commander of U.S. Naval Forces Africa, and as the Joint Force Maritime Component Commander since June 2020.
Eugene H. Black III | |
|---|---|
 Vice Admiral Eugene H. Black III, USN, c. 2019 | |
| Born | c. 1964 (age 56–57) |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/ |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1986-present |
| Rank |  Vice Admiral |
| Commands held | U.S. Sixth Fleet Carrier Strike Group Eight USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) USS Mason (DDG 87) |
| Alma mater | |
Early life and education
A New Jersey native, Black is a 1986 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science. He later earned a Master of Science degree in Management from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.
Military career
At sea, he served as commanding officer of USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) from January 2010 until November 2011. While in command, Leyte Gulf deployed to the Persian Gulf and North Arabian Sea. Black commanded USS Mason (DDG 87) from May 2004 until January 2006, also deployed to the Persian Gulf.
Black's other sea duty assignments include executive officer on USS Ramage (DDG 61), weapons officer and combat systems officer on board USS Normandy (CG 60), fire control officer on USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55), combat information center officer and damage control assistant on board USS Gallery (FFG-26) and the staff of the Commander, South Atlantic Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet.
Black's shore duty assignments include director, Surface Warfare Officer Distribution, Navy Personnel Command, Millington, Tennessee; Future Ships branch head, Surface Warfare Directorate (N86) on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations; and Afghanistan/Pakistan Politico-Military Policy branch head, Joint Staff, Strategic Plans and Policy (J5), in Washington, D.C. Other assignments include Commander detailer, Navy Personnel Command and Surface Warfare Officer School department head instructor, Newport, Rhode Island.
For his first flag officer assignment, he served as deputy commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. Fifth Fleet, Manama, Bahrain from June 2015 until July 2017. Following this assignment, he commanded Carrier Strike Group Eight from September 2017 to April 2019. He served as the director, Surface Warfare Division, N96, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington, D.C. from May 2019 to May 2020.
Black assumed duties as commander of U.S. Sixth Fleet, deputy commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and U.S. Naval Forces Africa, and as Joint Force Maritime Component Commander in June 2020.
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document: "https://www.navy.mil/Leadership/Biographies/BioDisplay/Article/2236277/vice-admiral-eugene-black/".