High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Admiral James David Watkins (born on March 7, 1927) is a retired United States Navy officer and former Chief of Naval Operations who also served as U.S. Secretary of Energy during the George H. W. Bush Administration and chaired U.S. government commissions on HIV/AIDS and ocean policy. Watkins has also served on the boards of various companies and other nongovernmental organizations. Currently, Admiral Watkins serves as the co-chair of the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative.