The members and guest of the Coronado Roundtable will be privileged to hear a talk on “Unmanned Aviation in the Second Century of Naval Aviation” by Coronado resident Vice Admiral Jim Zortman, USN (retired).  The future of unmanned aircraft is at present a hotly debated subject.  Among the many advances in this area is the possible use of such vehicles aboard aircraft carriers.  The ability to remotely control such craft anywhere in the world from such places as an Air Force base located near Las Vegas, Nevada is calling into question who and how such craft are to be operated.

In his second career, Admiral Zortman is sector vice president, Life Cycle Logistic and Support, for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, a premier provider of manned and unmanned aircraft, space systems and advanced technologies in support of our nation’s security.   In addition he is site manager of the Rancho Bernardo and Moss Point sites.

Jim joined Northrop Grumman in January 2008 following a career in the U.S. Navy, where he attained the rank of vice admiral.  He served as commander Naval Air Forces and chief executive officer, Naval Aviation Enterprise.  In this role, he led a combined team of more than 180,000 military, government, civilian and contractor personnel responsible for operations, readiness and full life cycle management of 3,800 aircraft and 12 aircraft carriers.

Zortman earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and completed a fellowship with the Chief of Naval Operations in Strategic Studies Group at the Naval War College. In addition, he has completed courses in executive business and strategic planning at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., and the University of North Carolina Business School at Chapel Hill.

The members of the Coronado Roundtable are looking forward to welcoming Admiral Zortman addressing them for a second time.  Jim and his wife Kathie have just constructed a new home in Coronado.

The Coronado Roundtable presents prominent speakers on a variety of topics at their monthly meetings on the fourth Friday of each month at 10 am in Winn Room at the Coronado Library.  The meetings are open to the public. Come to the meeting at 9:45 AM and enjoy a cup of coffee.