In January 2021, Giao Phan became executive director of the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). She was the first Asian American woman to serve in this position at the largest and most complex of the U.S. Navy’s five materiel agencies responsible for the design, construction, and maintenance of various military systems.
Phan was born in what was then the Republic of Vietnam (also known as South Vietnam). She was 15 when, in April 1975, she fled to the U.S. territory of Guam with her mother and seven siblings as North Vietnamese troops overran their homeland. Giao’s father Tung Phan was a South Vietnamese Army general, and he ended up remaining behind with his troops.
Giao and the rest of the family eventually left Guam for the United States. After making their way to the American west coast, they initially stayed at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in California as just a few of the thousands of Vietnamese evacuees being accommodated at this military base as part of Operation New Arrivals.
The Phan family subsequently traveled to the Eastern Seaboard, where they settled in northern Virginia. It was there that they were reunited with Giao’s father, who had been airlifted from the heavily besieged and ultimately eradicated Republic of Vietnam.
Tung Phan was transported to safety on board the U.S Navy’s amphibious command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19). He soon made his way to Virginia to be back together with his wife and family. “Big relief!” Giao recalled while discussing this reunion in a 2006 interview with the Virginia-based Daily Press.
Even though having her father back with them was undeniably welcome news, Giao also emphasized the daily struggles and easier-said-than-done adjustments they all had to endure in those first several years in their adopted country.
“We got food stamps, medical assistance, clothes donated from the Red Cross,” she said in that same interview. “It was difficult to live in that environment, because we were upper-middle-class in Vietnam, with chauffeurs, cooks, two nannies taking care of the kids. “
Giao also took time during this Daily Press interview, however, to highlight the positive side of their life in the United States. “This was truly just like they said,” she asserted. “It was the land of opportunity and gave us so much.”
Phan’s academic achievements have included graduating from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) with a B.S. in civil engineering and earning her M.S. in management from the Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech). She began her federal civilian career with the Navy in 1982.
This career has encompassed positions in both the Navy and U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). Over the years, Phan’s leadership roles have included serving as director for aircraft carriers and amphibious ships for the deputy assistant secretary of the navy for research, development and acquisition (ships); electronics systems manager for the Seawolf fast attack submarine program; deputy program manager for the in-service aircraft carrier program office; and assistant program manager for Nimitz-class carriers.
In 2007, Phan attained a major career milestone when she entered the Senior Executive Service as the USCG director of acquisition programs. Her responsibilities in this position included overseeing a staff of 400 people (both military and civilian); and a $30 billion investment portfolio dedicated to the maintenance and recapitalization of assets essential to USCG’s wide range of maritime missions.
Phan continued in that position until 2013, when she became executive director of the Navy’s Program Executive Office for Aircraft Carriers (PEO CVN). Her responsibilities in this role entailed overseeing the design, construction, and delivery of aircraft carriers and also the overall life-cycle support for these vessels.
Phan remained at PEO CVN until March 2019, when she began working for SEA-21, an agency of NAVSEA. SEA-21 is in charge of the navy’s in-service surface ships and the high-priority maintenance, modernization, training, and inactivation programs for those vessels. Phan’s tour of duty at SEA-21 lasted until December 2020, throughout her time there, she wore hats for each of the following positions: executive director for surface ship maintenance & modernization; and deputy commander for navy regional maintenance centers.
Phan then climbed even further up the navy’s career ladder to assume the position of NAVSEA executive director. With a workforce of more than 87,000 people across the globe serving under her, she led and directed the day-to-day operations of all navy ships, submarines, and integrated warfare systems.
At the time of her retirement as executive director in April 2024, Phan talked about her career in an interview that is now on the NAVSEA website. “I know I’m going to miss NAVSEA and the Navy,” she said. “I’ve loved having the opportunity to serve and contribute each day for 42 years. Although I don’t know in what capacity yet, I know I will continue to serve.”
Over the years, Phan has received several honors in recognition of her contributions as a federal government employee. These honors have included the Navy Meritorious Civilian Award in 2004; the Navy Superior Civilian Service Award in 2006; the Women of Color STEM Career Achievement in Government Award in 2010; the Federal Asian Pacific American Council Outstanding Individual Leadership Award in 2013; the Coast Guard Superior Achievement Award in 2013; the Asian American Government Executives Network Stanley Suyat Memorial Leadership Award in 2016; and the Department of the Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award in both 2019 and 2024.
In the time since she stepped down as NAVSEA’s executive director, Phan has stayed busy with other professional pursuits as well as increased quality time with family. She has also maintained a regular running routine, worked as a volunteer at a hospital, and mastered sports such as golf and pickleball.
In the 2023 interview that she did for NAVSEA, Phan also shared a few life lessons that she has learned along the way “Mistakes are part of life, right?” she stated. “They offer valuable opportunities for growth and learning. There have been so many. I think the most important lesson I’ve learned is to recognize the importance of resiliency and perseverance in the face of setbacks.”
Photo Credit: Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA)
For more information on Giao Phan, please check out https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Media/News/Article-View/Article/3727963/navsea-honors-retiring-executive-director-giao-phan/ and https://www.navymemorial.org/about-bod-giao-phan
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