Gary Tabach

Last updated
Gary Tabach
BornFebruary 1962
Moscow, USSR
AllegianceFlag of the United States.svg  United States of America
Service/branchFlag of the United States Navy (official).svg  United States Navy
Years of service1985–2011
Rank US-O6 insignia.svg Captain
CommandsSpecial representative to the president and an advisor to the U.S. ambassador in Moscow, USSR
Head of Military Information Office (MIO) in the U.N. Special Military Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG)
Chief of the Arms Control Implementation Unit in Kazakhstan
Naval Affairs Officer in the Office of Defense Cooperation at the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, Poland
Program manager in the Threat Reduction Office at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow
Deputy director of the NATO Center of Excellence – Defense Against Terrorism in Ankara, Turkey
Chief of Staff of the NATO Military Liaison Mission in Moscow
AwardsDefense Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Joint Defense Meritorious Service Medals (4)
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Joint Commendation Medals (2)
United Nations Medal
Navy Commendation Medal
Meritorious Honor Award
Joint Achievement Medal
Naval Achievement Medals (2)

Gary (Yuri) Tabach (born February 1962) is a retired United States Navy captain, notable for being the first Soviet-born citizen to be commissioned an officer in the Armed Forces of the United States. [1] [2] Tabach served as an advisor to the U.S. ambassador and special presidential envoy to the former Soviet Union. He held various positions in NATO missions and recognized for his expertise on military affairs, defense reduction strategy, national security issues and counterterrorism. [3] [4] [5] [6]

Contents

Early life and education

Gary Tabach was born in Moscow, USSR, to Zinovy Tabach, a dentist, and Rima Tabach, a hematologist. In 1976, he emigrated to the United States with his parents, older sister, and grandmother. [5] [6]

In 1985, Tabach earned a pharmacy degree from Temple University in Philadelphia. [2] A year later, he completed parachute training. From 1990 to 1993, he pursued an MBA at the Jacksonville University in Florida. [4]

Military career

Upon graduating from Temple University, he was commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy. [2] From 1985 to 1991, he worked as a pharmacist for Naval hospitals. [4]

In 1991, Tabach became a special representative to the President and an assistant and advisor to the U.S. ambassador to the countries of the former USSR. Until 1994, he worked at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, serving as a liaison between the U.S. government and the governments of the former Soviet Union countries. He represented the U.S. government's interests, advised the U.S. Ambassador on policy and strategy, and provided analysis and recommendations on political, economic, and security developments in the region. [5]

In 1994, he joined Prisoner of War – Missing in Action Commission, actively searching for U.S. POWs and MIAs in the former Soviet Union. Additionally, he served as a course director at USUHS. [4] [6]

In 1997, he held the position of Head of Military Information Office (MIO) in the U.N. Special Military Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG), leading the hostage negotiation team. [4] [5]

From 1998 to 2000, Tabach served as a Chief of the Arms Control Implementation Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Almaty, Kazakhstan. [4]

Subsequently, he served as Naval Affairs Officer in the Office of Defense Cooperation at the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, Poland, overseeing arms shipments to Poland during its transition to NATO standards. He also served as a program manager in the Threat Reduction Office at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. [6]

From 2006 to 2008, Tabach served as the first deputy director of the NATO Center of Excellence – Defense Against Terrorism in Ankara, Turkey. He was responsible for leading a staff of 90 international military personnel from seven NATO countries. [7]

From 2008 to 2011, he was the Chief of Staff of the NATO Military Liaison Mission coordinating contacts with the Russian Ministry of Defense in Moscow. [8] [9]

Tabach received military awards for his service, including the Legion of Merit, one of the highest U.S. military honors. [10]

Tabach retired from the U.S. Navy in 2011 and currently serves as the CEO of Fort Seal. [4]

Military decorations

Personal life

Tabach is highly critical of both Putin's foreign and domestic policies and actively supports Ukraine in their fight for sovereignty and freedom. [11] [12]

His daughter, Michelle, also became a naval officer, serving as a lieutenant-commander on a combat ship and leading the combat operations control section. [6]

Publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick Hauck</span> American captain and astronaut (born 1941)

Frederick Hamilton "Rick" Hauck is a retired captain in the United States Navy, a former fighter pilot and NASA astronaut. He piloted Space Shuttle mission STS-7 and commanded STS-51-A and STS-26.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Kimmitt</span> United States Army general

Mark Traecey Patrick Kimmitt is the former Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, serving under George W. Bush from August 2008 to January 2009; he was the 16th person to hold the post. Prior to joining the State Department, he was a brigadier general in the United States Army, and served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle East. Kimmitt has also served as deputy director for strategy and plans for the United States Central Command, and deputy director for operations/chief military spokesman for coalition forces in Iraq, and served at NATO's SHAPE headquarters in Belgium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronald A. Route</span>

Ronald A. Route is a retired Vice Admiral and former Naval Inspector General of the United States Navy and a former President of the Naval War College. On July 16, 2013, Vice Admiral Route was named President of the Naval Postgraduate School.

The NATO Medal is an international military decoration which is awarded to various militaries of the world under the authority of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It is manufactured by Eekelers-Centini Intl, of Hemiksem, Belgium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Dickson Stufflebeem</span> American retired military officer

John Dickson "Boomer" Stufflebeem is a former United States Navy vice admiral who last served in that rank as the director of Navy Staff. Stufflebeem served 39 years in the Navy and is well known for his football career and television briefings from the Pentagon following the attacks of 9/11 and subsequent military operations in Afghanistan. He is the Senior Vice President and founder of the NJS Group, LLC, a company specializing in strategic communications and planning as well as crisis management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Gnehm</span> American diplomat (born 1944)

Edward William Gnehm Jr., also known as Skip Gnehm, is an American diplomat who most recently served as the U.S. ambassador to Jordan. He is now a faculty member at George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuri Baluyevsky</span> Russian general

General of the Army Yuri Nikolayevich Baluyevsky is a retired Russian Ground Forces officer who served as the First Deputy Minister of Defense and Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation from 2004 to 2008. He was also a Deputy Secretary of the Security Council of Russia from 2008 to 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medal of Ushakov</span> Award

The Medal of Ushakov is a state decoration of the Russian Federation that was retained from the awards system of the USSR post 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack F. Matlock Jr.</span> American diplomat (born 1929)

Jack Foust Matlock Jr. is an American former ambassador, career Foreign Service Officer, teacher, historian, and linguist. He was a specialist in Soviet affairs during some of the most tumultuous years of the Cold War, and served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union from 1987 to 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry G. Chiles Jr.</span>

Henry Goodman Chiles Jr. is a retired United States Navy four star admiral who served as Commander in Chief, United States Strategic Command (USCINCSTRAT), from 1994 to 1996, the first naval officer to command all of the strategic nuclear forces of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giampaolo Di Paola</span> Italian politician (born 1944)

Giampaolo Di Paola is an Italian naval officer who served in the government of Italy as minister of defense from November 2011 to April 2013. He was the Italian military's Chief of Staff from 10 March 2004 to 8 February 2008 and served as Chairman of the NATO Military Committee from 2008 to 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Hight</span>

Elizabeth Ann Hight is a retired United States Navy rear admiral who served as the vice director of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). She assumed this post in December 2007. In 2008, she was nominated for appointment to the grade of vice admiral and assignment as director, Defense Information Systems Agency; commander, Joint Task Force – Global Network Operations; and deputy commander, U.S. Strategic Command Global Network Operations and Defense, Arlington, Virginia. Her nomination was rejected by the Senate due to a perceived conflict of interest with her husband, retired Air Force Brigadier General Gary Salisbury, who is vice president of business development and sales for Northrop Grumman Corp.'s mission systems sector, defense mission systems division. She retired from the Navy in 2010.

Gail Harris is a former United States Navy officer, and was the highest-ranking female African American in the U.S. Navy upon her retirement in December 2001. She served as the first female intelligence officer in a Navy aviation squadron in 1973. In 1979, Captain Harris became the first female and African American instructor at the Armed Forces Air Intelligence Training Center at Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado. In 1989, she became the first female and African American to lead the Intelligence Department for Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron in Rota, Spain, the largest Navy aviation squadron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick T. Moore Jr.</span> United States Navy officer (active 1937–1969)

Frederick T. Moore Jr. was a United States Navy captain. During World War II, he was executive officer of Fighter Squadron 1 operating off the carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10) and commanding officer of the Air Group 35 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Chenango in the Pacific. During the Korean War, he was the commanding officer of naval air training at NAS Pensacola and the air officer on USS Coral Sea. His first sea command was aboard USS Suribachi. In 1962–1963, Moore was the eighth commanding officer of USS Saratoga. Late in his career during the Vietnam War, he was Chief of Staff of the Naval Air Training Command at Naval Air Station Pensacola from October 1965 to July 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael E. Ennis</span> United States Marine Corps general

Michael E. Ennis is a former major general in the United States Marine Corps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teodoro Esteban López Calderón</span> Spanish Navy officer (born 1954)

Teodoro Esteban López Calderón is a Spanish Navy officer who is serving as the 12th and current Chief of the Defence Staff of the Spanish Armed Forces since 27 January 2021. Previously, he served as Admiral Chief of Staff of the Navy from 2017 and 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenneth Braithwaite</span> American government official & diplomat (born 1960)

Kenneth John Braithwaite II is an American politician, diplomat, businessman and naval officer who served as the 77th secretary of the Navy from May 29, 2020, to January 20, 2021, in the Donald Trump administration. Prior to that, he served as the U.S. ambassador to Norway, beginning February 8, 2018. Braithwaite is a retired U.S. Navy one-star rear admiral, having served in the Iraq War.

Wayne J. Bush is an American diplomat who was Assistant Secretary General for Executive Management at NATO in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elmer Román</span> Puerto Rican government official and U.S. naval military officer

Elmer L. Román is a member of the U.S. Senior Executive Service (SES) and a senior naval military officer. Additionally, he is a Puerto Rican politician who ran for the position of Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico in Washington, D.C. as part of the New Progressive Party primaries of 2024. He lost the primary to Puerto Rican Senator (2019-) and former Chief of Staff of Puerto Rico (2017-2018), William Villafañe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael C. Manazir</span> U. S. admiral

Michael Charles Manazir, also known as Rear Admiral Mike Manazir, is a retired United States Navy two-star admiral who transitioned to civilian life from duty as the deputy chief of naval operations for warfare systems on July 7, 2017.

References

  1. ↑ "CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE" (PDF). U.S. Government information. June 6, 2005. pp. S6113. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 "Retired U.S. Navy Captain Gary (Yuri) Tabach Presents to the Public". AlaskaBusiness. February 8, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Gary "Yuri" Tabach". American Political Services (in Spanish). 4 January 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Gary Tabach Biography". Wealthy Spy. March 1, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Checkmate: Predictions on Russia's maneuvering & US response". Alaska World Affairs Council. February 17, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Биография и личная жизнь Гарри Табаха, его жена, карьера и успех". 100 Биографий (in Russian). 6 April 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  7. ↑ Aybars Arda Kılıçer (May 6, 2022). "INTERVIEW WITH RET. U.S. NAVY CAPTAIN GARY TABACH". Transatlantic Policy Quarterly (TPQ). Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Military Liaison Mission in Moscow". North Atlantic Treaty Organization. August 31, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  9. ↑ Schwartzman, Bryan (December 2, 2011). "Statue in Philadelphia honors first Jewish commodore". Jewish Press of Tampa Bay. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  10. ↑ Evsikova, Irina (September 15, 2016). "Yuri Tabach is a United States Navy captain". Seagull Magazine (in Russian). Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  11. ↑ Popova, Tatyana (March 20, 2022). "Interview with former head of NATO mission in Moscow Gary Tabach". Kyiv Post. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Former NATO liaison in Moscow, Gary Tabach, new addition to Kyiv's lobbying team in Washington". Intelligence Online. November 4, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.