Retired Vice Admiral Robert T. Moeller, a founder of U.S. Africa Command who led early planning efforts, served as the director of the U.S. AFRICOM Transition Team and then as the first deputy to the commander for military operations, traveling to dozens of nations to coordinate partnerships between African and U.S. militaries, passed away March 28, 2011, in the Washington, D.C., area following a nearly two-year battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Moeller turned 60 in February and served 36 years in the United States Navy.
A memorial for friends and family was scheduled for April 1 in Alexandria, Virginia. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations to be made to the ALS Association of Greater Washington.
Moeller called his work with U.S. AFRICOM "the highlight of my career." In an interview shortly before he departed the command in April 2010, Moeller said it was an honor "to have been involved in this since the earliest days and to see the command mature to where we are now and, more importantly, see the progress that we're making with our African partners in ... working with them to develop their capability and capacity to meet their challenges."
In late July 2010, days before his retirement from the U.S. Navy, Foreign Policy magazine published a lengthy article by Moeller. In it, Moeller wrote: "As we conduct our daily and weekly activities across Africa we believe we share a long-term vision with our African partners: Sustained security programs can, over time, help support the conditions for economic development, social development, and improvements in health -- so that people will continue to see progress in their lives and growing prosperity in their communities."
In August 2006, the Defense Department directed U.S. European Command (EUCOM) to advise on establishing a new command arrangement for U.S. military interests in Africa. In September 2006, EUCOM recommended creating a new command for Africa.
Moeller at the time was serving as special assistant to the commander of U.S. Central Command when, in the early fall of 2006, he was asked to be executive director to the U.S. Africa Command Implementation Planning Team in Washington, D.C.
Working with a deputy director, U.S. Ambassador Robert Loftis from the U.S. Department of State, the planning team included representatives from the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and other federal agencies working in Africa. Moeller's team developed the then-unique arrangement of having two deputies to the commander: one with a traditional military role, and one a senior State Department Foreign Service officer to help the Defense Department better understand and better support the work of the non-military agencies that do the majority of U.S. government work Africa.
Moeller became executive director of the U.S. AFRICOM Transition Team when the command's creation was formally announced in February 2007. After the command was formally established on October 1, 2007, Moeller became the first Deputy to the Commander for Military Operations, serving alongside Ambassador Mary Carlin Yates, who was Deputy to the Commander for Civil-Military Activities.
Moeller departed U.S. Africa Command on April 12, 2010 to serve as a special assistant to Admiral Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations. Moeller's retirement ceremony took place July 16, 2010, and he formally retired on August 1.
Following his retirement, Moeller served as a Senior Fellow for Defense Policy at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies in Washington, D.C.
A New Jersey native and son of a World War II Navy veteran, Moeller graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1974 receiving his commission from the Notre Dame NROTC program.
Trained as a surface warfare officer, he served in a variety of sea and shore assignments, including joint duty. At sea, his assignments included USS Albany (CG 10), flagship for Commander, 2nd and 6th Fleets, where he served as talos fire control officer and boilers officer; USS Julius A. Furer (FFG 6); combat systems and material officer on the staff of Commander, Destroyer Squadron 36; USS Valley Forge (CG 50) as pre-commissioning engineer officer; USS Belknap (CG 26), flagship for Commander, 6th Fleet, as both executive officer and later commanding officer (CO) and USS Port Royal (CG 73) as Commanding Officer.
His CO tour in Belknap included initial Partnership for Peace operations, United Nations/North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Operations Provide Promise and Deny Flight, and the first Navy visits to Odessa, Ukraine; and Novorossiysk, Russia.
Ashore, Moeller served in OPNAV in the Systems Analysis Division (OP 96) as surface ASW and IUSS analyst; the Program Resource Appraisal Division (OP 91) as Net Assessment analyst; SECNAV Office of Program Appraisal (OPA) as Surface Warfare and C4I analyst; OSD's Office of Director Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) as Maritime Warfare analyst; and CO, Surface Warfare Officers School.
In 1989, Moeller was selected as the Navy Federal Executive Fellow at the Brookings Institution. He earned a master's degree in National Security Studies from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University.
Moeller served as deputy chief of staff for Operations, Plans, Policy and Training (N3N5N7) and as director for Operations (J3), Joint Task Force (JTF) - 519 for the Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet from May 2001 through August 2003 and as commander, Cruiser Destroyer Group 1/Commander, Ronald Reagan Strike Group from August 2003 through August 2004. Moeller served as the director, Strategy, Plans and Policy (J5) and as special assistant to the Commander, U.S. Central Command from August 2004 through August 2007. He served as deputy to the commander for military operations, U.S. Africa Command, until April 2010.
Moeller's awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with two Gold Stars, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with two Gold Stars, and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with a Gold Star.
Moeller is survived by his wife, Mary (Sparks) Rejent-Moeller; and their daughters Kate and Laura Moeller.
