Korea Chair "The Capital Cable" #22

Please join us for a special discussion about the latest situation on the Korean peninsula with Amb. Harry Harris, the former U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Korea, and former Commander of U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM).

Amb. Harris served as the U.S. ambassador to Korea from June 2018 to January 2021. Previously, he commanded the U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM) from 2015 to 2018. He was the first Asian-American to hold four-star rank in the U.S. Navy and the first to head USPACOM  He was promoted to admiral in October 2013 and assumed command of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. From 2011 to 2013, Admiral Harris served as the representative of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the Secretary of State.  In this role, he traveled to over 80 countries with the Secretary and participated in most of the Secretary’s meetings with foreign leaders.  He also served as the U.S. Roadmap Monitor for the Mid-East Peace Process.

Designated as a naval flight officer (NFO) in 1979, his first assignment was Patrol Squadron (VP) 44. Subsequent operational tours included tactical action officer aboard USS Saratoga, operations officer in VP-4, three tours with Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 1, director of operations for U.S. 5th Fleet, and director of operations for U.S. Southern Command. He has commanded VP-46, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 1, Joint Task Force-Guantanamo, the U.S. 6th Fleet, Striking and Support Forces NATO, and the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

Amb. Harris served in every geographic combatant command region and participated in the following major operations: Achille Lauro terrorist hijacking incident, Attain Document III, Earnest Will, Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, Willing Spirit, and Odyssey Dawn.

Harris’ staff assignments included aide to Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Japan; speechwriter for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS); three tours on the Navy staff, including Deputy CNO for Communication Networks (OPNAV N6).

He was born in Japan and reared in Tennessee and Florida. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1978. He holds master’s degrees from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service. He also did post-graduate work at Oxford University and completed the Seminar 21 fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The Capital Cable is made possible by the generous support of Kia Corporation and the Center for Strategic and International Studies.