The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Distinguished Service Medal to Vice Admiral James Buchanan Busey, IV (NSN: 0-586527), United States Navy, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished service in a position of great responsibility to the Government of the United States as Commander, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) from July 1983 to August 1985. An outstanding and energetic leader, Vice Admiral Busey structured new and existing aviation programs to support the six hundred-ship Navy. He directed innovative warranty provisions for contracts and achieved dramatic reductions in the costs of aircraft and missile programs. He led his NAVAIR team with a “can do” spirit that reduced the development costs of the F-14D, the A-6E upgrade, the V-22 tilt-rotor, and the T-45 training systems programs, permitting these vital modernization programs to go forward. His emphasis on quality gave the Navy true value for the dollar, and his tough NAVAIR negotiating posture saved the Navy hundreds of millions of dollars. Vice Admiral Busey build a highly motivated, responsive NAVAIR team that is breaking new ground in innovative business strategy. By his exceptional technical judgment, inspiring leadership, and loyal devotion to duty, Vice Admiral Busey reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.