From 1981 to 1987, Dr. Lehman served as Secretary of the Navy.
As the chief executive of the Navy, he was responsible for the management of 1.2 million people, an annual budget of $95 billion and total assets equivalent to those of the seven largest Fortune 500 corporations combined. Prior to being appointed Secretary of the Navy, Dr. Lehman served as President of the aerospace consulting firm Abington Corporation, a delegate to the Mutual Balanced Force Reductions negotiations, Deputy Director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and a senior staff member to Dr. Henry Kissinger at the White House. For more than two decades, John F. Lehman flew various tactical aircraft for the Naval Reserve.
Previously, he has served on the boards of Ball Corporation, TI Group plc, Westland Helicopter plc, Sedgwick plc and many of JFLCO’s investments. He is also Chairman of the Princess Grace Foundation and an Overseer of the School of Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. Previously, he was also a member of the 9/11 Commission and the National Defense Commission.
A native of Pennsylvania, Dr. Lehman earned a B.S. from St. Joseph’s University, a B.A. and M.A. from Cambridge University and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.
-George F. Will
A masterful execution of an inspired idea–rather like the Inchon landing and other operations ably examined in these pages.
-Walter Cronkite
John Lehman draws on his extensive experience in Washington, which took him from the rarefied atmosphere of the National Security Council to the exalted position of secretary of the navy, to give us a fascinating perspective on U.S. involvement in the Persian Gulf War. Even more important, Lehman examines the dangerously unsettled question of who, Congress of the president, in the final analysis, is empowered to commit the nation to war. He renders an important service in bringing to us this provocative book.
-Stephen Ambrose
Command of the Seas is a book that speaks forcefully to both the success and failures of the Reagan administration’s military policy. The author is a wise and honest man.
-Senator John McCain
John Lehman has given us another naval classic in Oceans Ventured–the incredible story of the navy’s central role in winning the Cold War. Based upon meticulous research and newly declassified documents, Lehman’s fresh account has the grip of a well-crafted adventure novel. His perspective is uniquely authoritative: he was a key architect of American strategy, a crucial figure in its execution, and an active participant as a qualified naval aviator. A must-read…
John F. Lehman is the author of 9 books, below are some of the excerpts and reviews:
John Lehman has given us another naval classic in Oceans Ventured―the incredible story of the Navy’s central role in winning the Cold War. strategy, a crucial figure in its execution, and an active participant as a qualified naval aviator. A must-read.