Alum Rear Admiral John Butler Named Honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire

 

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has conferred the honor of Commander of the British Empire upon retired Rear Admiral John D. Butler, U.S. Navy, in recognition of his contribution to the Royal Navy’s Submarine Flotilla.

Butler received his bachelor of science degree in chemistry from The University of Texas at Austin and serves of the College of Natural Sciences Advisory Council.

British Ambassador Sir Nigel Sheinwald, who presented the award Dec. 9 during an investiture ceremony at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., said: “Rear Admiral Butler clearly had an extremely successful career in his three decades with the U.S. Navy. His second calling, as the vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Fleet Ballistic Missile Program, now ensures that his skills, enthusiasm and cutting edge dedication to submarine programs continue to be fully utilized.

“From a UK perspective, there is no doubt that his personal dedication and hard work has made a difference. His passion and determination have directly led to creating savings in both time and money and it is this, along with the provision of expert advice and support, that deserves to be recognized at the highest level.”

Commander of the British Empire is an award in the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, an order of chivalry established by George V of the United Kingdom in 1917 that honors civilians and service personnel for public service and other distinctions.

Butler currently is vice president for Fleet Ballistic Missile program requirements for Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. He retired from the U.S. Navy in 2005 after a 31-year military career. Navy assignments included Program Executive Officer (Submarines) for the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition and support to the United Kingdom’s Vanguard-class and Astute-class submarine design and construction programs.

His military awards include the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, three Legion of Merit awards, and three Meritorious Service Medal awards.

A native of Texas City, Texas, Butler currently resides in the Washington, D.C., area.

In addition to his B.S. degree in chemistry from The University of Texas at Austin, Butler received a M.S. degree in engineering acoustics from the Naval Postgraduate School.