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Commander Doug “Dorothy” Morea hailed from Port Washington, New York, and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering. Doug earned his Wings of Gold in July 2006 and began training in the F/A-18 Hornet shortly thereafter.
For his junior officer tour, Commander Morea reported to the Golden Warriors of VFA-87, where he deployed aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. In September 2010, Doug successfully graduated from the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) and stayed on as both a TOPGUN instructor and the Navy’s threat pilot and tactics subject matter expert. In August 2013, Commander Morea joined the Valions of VFA-15 as a training officer, where he deployed aboard USS George H.W. Bush in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Inherent Resolve. In October 2015, Doug reported to the VFA-81 Sunliners as a department head, where he deployed aboard USS Harry S. Truman in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. In 2018, he earned distinction as the Commander, Strike Fighter Wing Atlantic (CSFWL), Michael Longardt Leadership Award recipient, and Carrier Air Wing ONE Department Head of the Year.
In March 2021, Doug joined the Blue Blasters of VFA-34 as executive officer and assumed command the following year. After a successful deployment to the Mediterranean and transitioning the squadron from Carrier Air Wing 1 to Carrier Air Wing 11, he detached in July 2023 and immediately reported to the Joint Advanced Warfighting School (JAWS) in Norfolk, Virginia.
Commander Morea accumulated over 3,700 flight hours in the F/A-18, F-16, T-45, and T-34; had more than 675 aircraft carrier arrested landings; and flew over 80 combat missions. His personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Strike/Flight Air Medal (four awards), Navy Commendation Medal (five awards), Navy Achievement Medal, and various unit and campaign awards.
The article that accompanies this memorial represents the research Commander Morea conducted during his time as a student in JAWS. Doug was well on his way to becoming an elite joint warfighter, and he had a great deal to say about joint professional military education (JPME)—specifically, about how the current system produces suboptimal outcomes for the joint force and Services. He was passionate about this topic because the JPME enterprise was not living up to its stated commitment to excellence. Perhaps more important, Commander Morea assessed that the current design for nonresident JPME causes much unnecessary heat, friction, and stress for Servicemembers and their families.
Commander Morea’s research is a meaningful contribution to the broader discourse on JPME. The companion article—authored by the commandant of the Joint Forces Staff College, the director of the Joint and Combined Warfighting School, and the director of JAWS—offers additional context to Commander Morea’s work and echoes his findings: the current system produces suboptimal outcomes, and we can do better.
For his commitment to excellence in the art of joint warfighting, Lieutenant General Michael T. Plehn, USAF, President of the National Defense University, awarded Commander Morea an honorary master’s degree in Joint Campaign Planning and Strategy from JAWS. JFQ