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Dr. James A. Helis, Rear Admiral (United States Maritime Service), is the twelfth Superintendent of the United States Merchant Marine Academy. A 1979 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, and a decorated Afghanistan War veteran, Helis served thirty years in the US Army, retiring at the rank of Colonel (United States Army). In 2012, Helis was commissioned a United States Maritime Service Rear Admiral and appointed Superintendent of the United States Merchant Marine Academy by US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. Helis served his last eight years with the U.S. Army as an academic, culminating as Chair of the Department of National Security and Strategy at the United States Army War College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Helis earned a Master of Arts in political science from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Military Affairs from the United States Army Command and General Staff College, School of Advanced Military Studies at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and a Doctor of Philosophy in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. An airborne United States Army Ranger, Helis was awarded the Army Master Parachutist Badge. Helis and his wife Jan have two sons, Dr. Corbin Helis, a physician and West Point graduate, and Ian Helis.