The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting a Gold Star in lieu of a Second Award of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal to 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 the Vice Chief of Naval Operations from September 1985 to March 1987. Functioning in close cooperation and in direct support of the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Busey’s leadership and management were invaluable to the U.S. Navy during this very demanding and important period. His profound grasp of global issues and strong performance as an alternate member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were of great importance to the country. His complete understanding of U.S. Naval requirements and structure was directly responsible for improvements made in both our forces and our organization. Admiral Busey’s concern for operating forces’ requirements led to numerous innovative productivity enhancement programs among our fleet support activities. These programs increased the U.S. Navy’s combat readiness and significantly improved the overall quality of life for naval personnel and their dependents. His keen sense of diplomacy and comprehensive grasp of naval matters earned the admiration and respect of all with whom he was associated. Admiral Busey’s distinguished achievements, inspirational leadership, and steadfast devotion to duty reflected great credit upon himself and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

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.

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting a Second Gold Star in lieu of a Third Award of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal to 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 in Chief, United States Naval Forces, Europe from Marcy 1987 to May 1989. Admiral Busey consistently performed his exceptionally demanding duties in an exemplary and highly professional manner. Demonstrating superlative ability and competence, along with dynamic leadership, he was personally and directly responsible for the complex operations of the United States Navy in the European Theater. His tour was marked by constant challenge and limited resources, yet in the midst of such obstacles, his unfailing efforts were responsible for a substantial increase in readiness of United States Naval Forces throughout Europe. Admiral Busey’s flawless judgment in dealing with extraordinarily complex and delicate political and military matters was invaluable to the United States Government. By his distinctive achievements, unrelenting perseverance, and unsurpassed dedication to duty, Admiral Busey reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service..