ADM Archie Clemins, former Advisory Board Member

Admiral Archie Clemins, a distinguished U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander (Ret.), was commissioned and completed the Naval Nuclear Power Program, then served on both ballistic and attack submarines, serving as Executive Officer of the USS Parche and then Commander of the USS Pogy. He then served as Commander of Submarine Group Seven, Deputy Command of the US Atlantic Fleet and then as Commander of the US Seventh Fleet. Upon promotion to the rank of 4-Star Admiral, Admiral Clemins assumed command of the US Pacific Fleet (Pearl Harbor) from 1996–99; he oversaw 190 ships, 1,400 aircraft, and 230,000 personnel deployed in an area comprising 100 million square miles.

Admiral Clemins entered the Navy after graduating from the University of Illinois, with Bachelors and Masters degrees in Electrical Engineering. Admiral Clemins’ leadership and organizational skills were exemplary, but he is also credited with bringing Naval Operations into the Digital Age in the 1980’s and 90’s. Known as the Father of Naval Information Technology, most of the shipboard innovation using computers for Command, Control, Communication and Intelligence was envisioned and directed by Admiral Clemins having early and massive significance and impact. He personally strung cables and deployed cables throughout his ship, to both demonstrate and discover what could be done. Eventually, he led the implementation of a multimillion dollar program called Information Technology for the 21st Century, IT-21.

In addition to being a visionary, he is also known as an outstanding teacher and mentor whose lessons and advice are singularly on-point, built on wisdom and insight: “Your legacy … is measured by the accomplishments of the children you raise and the people you train.”