Harris's opening statement at a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the Asia-Pacific region Recorded February 24, 2016
Harry Binkley Harris Jr.[1] (born August 4, 1956)[2] is a retired Japanese-born American diplomat and retired U.S. Navy officer. He was the first American of Japanese descent to lead US Pacific Command and was the highest-ranking American of Japanese descent in U.S. Navy history during his time as commander.[3][4][5][6]
Harris is a 1978 graduate of the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. He was the U.S. Navy's "Old Goat" – the longest-serving Naval Academy graduate still on active duty – from January 2017 until April 2018, when he passed the title on to his classmate, Admiral Kurt W. Tidd, in a private ceremony at the Pentagon.[11] He was also the Navy's 15th "Gray Owl" – the Naval Flight Officer on active duty who has held this designation the longest period. Harris passed the Gray Owl to Vice Admiral Herman A. Shelanski at the National Naval Aviation Museum's 2018 Naval Aviation Symposium.[12] Governor Rick Perry designated him as an admiral in the Texas Navy on July 18, 2006.[13] He was also designated as a "Colonel Aide de Camp" for the state of Tennessee by Governor Phil Bredesen on August 8, 2007 and a "Kentucky Colonel" by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear on March 3, 2021.
Harris' shore assignments include Aide and Flag Lieutenant to the Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Japan in Yokosuka, Japan; three tours on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations to include two flag officer tours and a tour as a strategist in the Strategy and Concepts Branch; Chief Speechwriter to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His Flag assignments are described below.
His educational assignments include selection for the Navy's Harvard/Tufts Program, where he graduated with a Master's of Public Administration from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1992. Subsequently, selected as an Arthur S. Moreau Scholar, he studied international relations and ethics of war at Oxford and Georgetown University, earning a Master of Arts in National Security Studies from the latter in 1994. While at Georgetown, he was a Fellow in the School of Foreign Service. He was also an MIT Seminar 21 fellow for the 1999–2000 class.
Harris has logged 4400 flight hours – including over 400 combat hours – in U.S. and foreign maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft. He is a recipient of the Navy League's Stephen Decatur Award for Operational Competence, the CIA's Agency Seal Medal, and the CIA's Ambassador Award in 2021. For his work in diversity and leadership, he has also received the NECO Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the APAICS Lifetime Achievement Award, the WWAAC Community Spirit Award, and the AAGEN Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award.[3] In 2017, Harris was named an Honorary Chief Petty Officer by Master Chief Petty Officer of the NavySteven S. Giordano in recognition of his leadership and "extraordinary dedication to the Navy's core values of honor, courage, and commitment.[20]" In 2021, the Institute for Corean-American Studies (ICAS) named him an ICAS Distinguished Fellow; he was recognized by Tufts University with its Dr. Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award; he was inducted into the Maritime Patrol Association Hall of Honor; and he received the Naval order of the U.S. Distinguished Sea Service Award. The Honolulu Council of the Navy League of the U.S. awarded him its American Patriot Award for 2022.[21] He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Council of American Ambassadors.[22]
Director, Current Operations and Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection Division (OPNAV N31/34)
In August 2004, in his first Flag assignment, he reported to the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations, where he was responsible for Navy current operations, the Navy Command Center, and anti-terrorism/force protection policy.
Commander, Joint Task Force Guantanamo
Rear Admiral Harry Harris presents Brigadier General Edward Leacock with the Defense Superior Service Medal, March 2, 2007.
I believe this was not an act of desperation, but an act of asymmetrical warfare waged against us.[23]
Harris ordered a full investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), which published its report in a heavily redacted version in August 2008.
A report, Death in Camp Delta, was published in December 2009 by the Center for Policy & Research of Seton Hall University School of Law, under the supervision of its director, Professor Mark Denbeaux, attorney for two Guantanamo detainees, criticizing numerous inconsistencies in the official accounts of these deaths.[24][25][26] The report suggested there had either been gross negligence or an attempt to cover up homicides of the men, perhaps due to torture under interrogation.
On January 18, 2010, Scott Horton of Harper's Magazine published a story suggesting that al-Salami, Al-Utaybi and Al-Zahrani had died as a result of accidental manslaughter during a torture session, and that the official account was a cover-up.[23] Horton had undertaken a joint investigation with NBC News, based on an account by four former guards at Guantanamo Bay detention camp. They suggested that the men had died at a black site, informally called "Camp No," used for interrogation including torture. It was located about a mile outside the regular camp boundaries.[23]
Director of Operations, U.S. Southern Command
From June 2007 to April 2008, Harris served as director of operations (J3) for U.S. Southern Command in Miami. He led the joint planning effort for Operation Willing Spirit[27] (the rescue of American hostages held hostage in Colombia).
Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV N6)
Adm. Harris wearing Google Glass during a presentation at AFCEA West in February 2014.
Harris returned to the Pentagon to serve as the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Communication Networks (OPNAV N6) and the Deputy Department of the Navy Chief Information Officer (Navy) until November 2009. He was responsible for early resource sponsor decisions for the Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services (CANES), Next Generation Enterprise Network (NGEN), Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) and Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA).
Commander, U.S. Sixth Fleet
In November 2009, Harris assumed command of the U.S. 6th Fleet and the Striking and Support Forces NATO, both headquartered in Naples, Italy. He concurrently served as deputy commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and deputy commander, U.S. Naval Forces Africa. In 2011, he was designated as the Joint Force Maritime Component Commander (JFMCC) for Operation Odyssey Dawn, the U.S.-led coalition operation against Libya.
Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
In October 2011, he assumed the position of Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this capacity, he served as the Chairman's direct representative to the U.S. Secretary of State. He was also the designated U.S. Roadmap Monitor for the Middle East Peace Process.
Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet
Harris is promoted to admiral by Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, on October 16, 2013.
Harris was nominated on September 22, 2014, by President Barack Obama to command the US Pacific Command.[30][31] His appointment was confirmed by the Senate on December 11, 2014.[32][33] Harris took command of USPACOM on May 27, 2015. He regarded North Korea as the biggest threat to security in Asia, calling for diplomacy backed by military power to "bring Kim Jong-Un to his senses; not to his knees" in pursuit of peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.[34][35][36]
In December 2016, Harris led the military commemoration activities for the 75th anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor and Oahu. On 5 December, he paid tribute to Japanese-Americans who served in World War II.[37] He delivered the keynote speech during National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, 7 December,[38] and accompanied President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime MinisterShinzō Abe to render honors at the USS Arizona Memorial on 27 December. The visit – the first by a Japanese Prime Minister to the Memorial – was hailed by President Obama as "a historic gesture of reconciliation."[39] He called for the resurgence of the Quad -- the informal grouping of like-minded democracies of the U.S., Japan, Australian, and India -- at the inaugural Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi in 2016.[40] In 2017, he began publicly advocating for the renegotiation of, and potential withdrawal from, "unilaterally self-limiting treaties," including the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force (INF) Treaty. [41][42][43][44]
U.S. Ambassador to South Korea
Harris is sworn in as the U.S. ambassador to South Korea, 2018
One of the major issues Harris had to take forward was increasing South Korea's share of the costs for joint security responsibilities, which President Trump wished to see increased from $830 million to about $5 billion annually.[49]
In April 2020, Harris was reportedly planning on stepping down as ambassador in the coming months.[50] In late April 2020, Harris tweeted a congratulatory message to the Republic of Korea (ROK) on its delivery of a Global Hawk UAV that the country purchased from the United States through U.S. Foreign Military Sales (FMS), which is managed and supervised by the Department of State. The tweet received criticism from the Korean press citing ROKG authorities’ comments that it was an inappropriate disclosure,[51][52] despite the purchase and delivery of the Global Hawk program having been part of the public record in both the United States [53][54] and Republic of Korea [55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62] since originally approved in 2012,[53] and the fact that his tweet was previewed with the ROK Ministry of Defense.
He stepped down as ambassador in January 2021. In an interview with the Financial Times published on 5 February 2021, He said "Some of the race baiting, I was surprised by that" because of his part-Japanese background.[63]
Some South Korean activists criticized Harris over his mustache, which they claimed was reminiscent of Japanese-appointed Governors-General (Itō Hirobumi) during Japanese rule over Korea. Harris disagreed with the criticisms and suggested they stemmed from his Japanese heritage.[65][66] Harris shaved off his mustache in July 2020.[67][68] A CNN article written by Joshua Berlinger suggested that given Harris's ancestry, the criticism of his mustache may be due to racism.[69]
Some South Korean liberal media outlets said the controversy over his mustache was triggered by his previous remarks that ignored South Korea's sovereignty and showed similar political views to the right-wing of Japan. Harris referred to politicians around Moon Jae-in as "Jongbuk" (종북), and was later accused of acting like "Japanese colonial government" (일본 총독) by South Korean liberals. In South Korea, the term "Jongbuk" is mainly recognized as an extreme right-wing rhetoric that ultra-conservatives use to criticize liberals and progressives.[70] South Korean liberals and progressives generally support the Sunshine Policy, are skeptical of sanctions against North Korea, and are critical of Japan.[71][72]
Honorary Officer (AO) of the Order of Australia, awarded 29 May 2018 by Governor General of AustraliaGeneralSir Peter Cosgrove as part of the 2018 Special honours list, for “distinguished service to the military relationship between Australia and the United States through leadership, passion, and strategic foresight.”
Personal life
Harris is married to Brunhilde Kempf "Bruni" Bradley.[77][78] Bruni Bradley is a 1984 Naval Academy graduate[79] and former Navy commander[80] who retired after 25 years of service and now is a member of the board of directors for the Military Child Education Coalition.[81]
Related Research Articles
The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. The performance must be such as to merit recognition for service that is clearly exceptional. The exceptional performance of normal duty will not alone justify an award of this decoration.
Chester William Nimitz was a fleet admiral in the United States Navy. He played a major role in the naval history of World War II as Commander in Chief, US Pacific Fleet, and Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas, commanding Allied air, land, and sea forces during World War II.
Arleigh Albert Burke was an admiral of the United States Navy who distinguished himself during World War II and the Korean War, and who served as Chief of Naval Operations during the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations.
The United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) is the unified combatant command of the United States Armed Forces responsible for the Indo-Pacific region.
Forrest Percival Sherman was an admiral in the United States Navy and the youngest person to serve as Chief of Naval Operations until Admiral Elmo Zumwalt in 1970. The Forrest Sherman-class destroyer and the airfield at Naval Air Station Pensacola were named for him.
USS Columbus (SSN-762) is a Los Angeles-class nuclear powered fast attack submarine and the second vessel of the United States Navy to be named for Columbus, Ohio. The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut, on 21 March 1986 and her keel was laid down on 9 January 1991. She was launched on 1 August 1992 sponsored by Mrs. Margaret DeMars, wife of Admiral Bruce DeMars and commissioned on 24 July 1993.
Admiral Joseph James "Jocko" Clark, USN was an admiral in the United States Navy, who commanded aircraft carriers during World War II. Born and raised in Indian Territory and a member of the Cherokee Nation, in 1917 he became the first Native American to graduate from the United States Naval Academy. Clark preferred to be called "J. J." or by the nickname "Jocko" instead of his full name.
Bernard Ambrose Clarey, nicknamed "Chick", was an admiral of the United States Navy. A submarine commander during World War II, he served during the late 1960s as Vice Chief of Naval Operations and in the early 1970s as Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet.
James Lemuel Holloway III was a United States Navy admiral and naval aviator who was decorated for his actions during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. After the Vietnam War, he was posted to The Pentagon, where he established the Navy's Nuclear Powered Carrier Program. He served as Chief of Naval Operations from 1974 until 1978. After retiring from the Navy, Holloway served as President of the Naval Historical Foundation from 1980 to 1998 and served another ten years as its chairman until his retirement in 2008 when he became chairman emeritus. He was the author of Aircraft Carriers at War: A Personal Retrospective of Korea, Vietnam, and the Soviet Confrontation published in 2007 by the Naval Institute Press.
Kurt Walter Tidd is a retired United States Navy admiral. He last served as the Commander, United States Southern Command. Prior to that assignment, Tidd served as Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He also served as the Director for Operations, Joint Staff (J-3) from 2012 to 2013, and as Commander, United States Naval Forces Southern Command and United States Fourth Fleet from August 5, 2011, to June 22, 2012. Confirmed by the Senate on December 16, 2015, Tidd received his fourth star and succeeded John F. Kelly as commander of United States Southern Command on January 14, 2016. Tidd held the title of "Old salt", which means he received his qualification for Surface Warfare before any other active-duty navy officer. He passed said title to Admiral Philip S. Davidson upon his retirement. Upon the May 30, 2018, retirement of his United States Naval Academy classmate, Admiral Harry B. Harris Jr., Tidd also gained the honorific of "Old Goat" – the longest-serving Naval Academy graduate on active duty. Harris presented Tidd with the Old Goat decanter in a ceremony on April 11, 2018.
The structure of the United States Navy consists of four main bodies: the Office of the Secretary of the Navy, the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, the operating forces, and the Shore Establishment.
Samuel Jones "Sam" Locklear III is a retired United States Navy admiral who last served as the commander of the United States Pacific Command from March 9, 2012, to May 27, 2015. Prior to that, he served as Commander, United States Naval Forces Europe – United States Naval Forces Africa and NATO's Commander, Allied Joint Force Command Naples. Prior to that, he served as Director, Navy Staff from July 2009 to October 2010. He retired from the navy on July 1, 2015, after 39 years of service.
The Order of National Security Merit is one of South Korea's orders of merit. It is awarded by the President of South Korea for "outstanding meritorious services in the interest of national security."
Samuel Perez Jr. is a retired rear admiral in the United States Navy.
Philip Scot Davidson is a retired four-star admiral in the United States Navy who last served as the 25th commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command from May 30, 2018 to April 30, 2021. He previously served as the commander of United States Fleet Forces Command and United States Naval Forces Northern Command from 2014 to 2018. Davidson is from St. Louis, Missouri, and is a 1982 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. He retired from the U.S. Navy effective May 1, 2021.
Scott Harbison Swift is a retired admiral in the United States Navy, serving as the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet from May 27, 2015 to May 17, 2018. He previously served as the director of Navy Staff in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations.
Andrew Lloyd Lewis is a retired admiral in the United States Navy who last served as the commander of the United States Second Fleet and NATO Joint Force Command for the Atlantic. Lewis previously served as the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Operations, Plans and Strategy. He took command of the United States Second Fleet upon its reestablishment on August 24, 2018.
John Blackwelder Nowell Jr. is a retired vice admiral in the United States Navy. Nowell assumed duties as the navy's 59th Chief of Naval Personnel on May 24, 2019. Nowell is a distinguished graduate of the United States Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Ocean Engineering and holds a Master of Science in Weapons Systems Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School.
Daryl Lane Caudle is a United States Navy admiral who is the 35th commander of United States Fleet Forces Command since December 7, 2021. He most recently served as commander of Naval Submarine Forces (COMSUBFOR), Commander, Submarine Force Atlantic (COMSUBLANT) and Commander, Allied Submarine Command (ASC). As COMSUBFOR, he was the undersea domain lead, and is responsible for the submarine force's strategic vision. As COMSUBLANT, he commanded all Atlantic-based U.S. submarines, their crews and supporting shore activities. These responsibilities also include duties as commander, Task Force (CTF) 114, CTF 88, and CTF 46. As commander, Allied Submarine Command, he was the principal undersea warfare advisor to all North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) strategic commanders.
Daniel P. Martin is a United States Navy rear admiral and naval aviator who has served as the commander of Naval Safety Command since July 1, 2024. He most recently served as the director of maritime operations of the United States Pacific Fleet from 2022 to 2024. He served as the commander of Carrier Strike Group 1 from 2021 to 2022. He previously served as senior military assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs. In earlier command tours, he commanded Carrier Air Wing 8 from June 2015 to 2016 and Strike Fighter Squadron 37 from 2010 to 2011.
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.
