An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Antonio Promoted to Rear Admiral

01 June 2013

From Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Amanda Dunford

Capt. Brian Antonio, U.S. Pacific Fleet's fleet maintenance officer, was promoted to Rear Admiral on May 31 in a ceremony aboard the USS Missouri Memorial.

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - Capt. Brian Antonio, U.S. Pacific Fleet's fleet maintenance officer, was promoted to Rear Admiral on May 31 in a ceremony aboard the USS Missouri Memorial.

Antonio, a Bowie, Md., native assigned to U.S. Pacific Fleet headquarters, now joins the flag ranks, which make up less than 1 percent of the commissioned officers in the Navy.

"When I found out I had been selected for promotion, I felt incredibly honored to be given the opportunity to continue serving our great Navy," Antonio said. "The largest contributing factor to my selection was the incredible support from all those I worked with during my career.

"My wife Kathy Sue and children have been incredibly supportive and patient while I continue my career in the Navy," he said. "Members of the military often get the kudos, but the sacrifices military families make are often more special."

Antonio graduated in 1983 from the U.S. Naval Academy, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in naval architecture. The son of a career Sailor, Antonio wanted to join the Navy from a young age.

"I remember as a 4-year-old, telling my parents that I wanted to go to the Naval Academy and be on a ship just like my father. Some of my earliest recollections were hearing about my father's participation in the Cuban missile crisis," Antonio said. "After we moved closer to Annapolis and started going to Navy football games year after year, I started learning more about the mission of the Naval Academy."

Antonio earned his surface warfare qualification while assigned aboard USS Peterson (DD 969) as a junior officer. He also served as a project superintendent for the Baseline Advanced Industrial Management Program at Norfolk Naval Shipyard; deputy acquisition program manager for the Landing Platform Dock 17 Class Program; ship design manager for the next-generation, Gerald Ford-class aircraft carrier; and chief of staff to the deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for ships.

"Without exception, every duty station throughout my 30-year career provided me with tools that I used in subsequent assignments," he said. "Since becoming an engineering duty officer, my various tours of duty in shipyards, on staffs, in program offices managing acquisition programs, and in the Pentagon have provided me with a breadth of experience that allows me to put today's Fleet maintenance issues in context."

Antonio is next headed to Washington D.C. for assignment as the program executive officer for Littoral Combat Ships, but says that he is committed to motivating Sailors and making a positive impact wherever his Navy career takes him.

"I once saw a quote that said, 'What you do today is important, because you are trading a day of your life for it,'" he said. "On average, humans are only given about 30,000 days to live. I felt it was my duty, no matter where I was stationed, to make a positive impact. As a flag officer, I'm not planning to change that philosophy."

Guidance-Card-Icon Dept-Exclusive-Card-Icon