Admiral Harry Harris picked to become US ambassador to Australia
Harris regards 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’
Donald Trump has named US Pacific Commander Admiral Harry Harris as his pick to serve as the American ambassador to Australia, the White House has said in a statement.
Harris, a naval officer, has served in the military for 39 years and is in his seventh command assignment as head of the US Pacific Command, the White House said. He is the first Asian-American to achieve the rank of Admiral in the US Navy.
“A highly decorated, combat proven Naval officer with extensive knowledge, leadership and geo-political expertise in the Indo-Pacific region, he graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1978 and was designated a naval flight officer in 1979,” the White House statement said.
Harris has a masters in public administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and an MA from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, and attended Oxford University. He has held seven command assignments, including the US Pacific Fleet and the US Sixth Fleet.
While a vice-admiral, he served as assistant to the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff from October 2011. In that role, he was the chairman’s direct representative to the US secretary of state.
His career, however, has not been without controversy.