William Arthur Owens was born in Bismarck, North Dakota on 8 May 1940 and served in the United States Navy from 1962 to 1996, retiring with the rank of admiral. His final billet was as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1994 to 1996 and was appointed by President William Clinton. His Navy career included tours as Senior Military Assistant to Secretaries of Defense Frank Carlucci and Dick Cheney, Commander, US 6th Fleet (during OPERATION DESERT STORM), and Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Resources, Warfare Requirements and Assessments. Following retirement in 1996, Admiral Owens embarked on a career as a senior business executive, board member, and entrepreneur with senior executive positions and member of various technology and telecommunications companies, including President of SAIC, CEO of Teledesic, and CEO of Nortel, a Fortune 100 company, as well as board positions for Daimler, Telstra, and the New York Stock Exchange.