Harry B . Harris Jr . Harry Binkley Harris , Jr . is a four - star admiral in the United States Navy who currently serves as Commander of the United States Pacific Fleet . He was promoted to the rank of four - star admiral upon taking command of the U . S . Pacific Fleet in Hawaii in 2013 . His prior position as vice admiral was serving as the Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff . Harris ' prior operational command was in 2011 when he was commander of the Sixth Fleet . Biography . Early life . Harry B . Harris , Jr . , was born in Yokosuka , Japan in 1956 . His father was a U . S . Navy Chief Petty Officer who married a Japanese woman . After his family ' s return to the United States , Harris grew up in Tennessee and Florida , where he attended local public schools . Military service . Harris graduated from the U . S . Naval Academy in 1978 . After flight training , he was designated as a Naval Flight Officer and assigned to Patrol Squadron FORTY FOUR ( VP - 44 ) , homeported at Naval Air Station Brunswick , Maine where he flew the P - 3C Orion , deploying throughout the Atlantic and Mediterranean . His subsequent operational tours include assignment as a Tactical Action Officer on board USS " Saratoga " ( CV - 60 ) , to include participation in the Achille Lauro incident and strikes against Libya ( Operation Attain Document III ) ; Operations Officer in Patrol Squadron 4 ( VP - 4 ) at Naval Air Station Barbers Point , Hawaii , deploying to Southwest Asia during Operations Desert Shield / Desert Storm ; and three tours with Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 1 / TF 57 / TF 72 , the latter tour as the wing ' s Commodore , homeported in Kami Seya , Japan and forward deployed to Manama , Bahrain for Operation Enduring Freedom . In 2002 , he reported to Commander , U . S . Naval Forces Central Command / U . S . Fifth Fleet in Manama , Bahrain , serving as Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations , Plans , and Pol - Mil Affairs ( N3 / N5 ) . He was responsible for the planning and execution of the Naval component ’ s portion of Operation Iraqi Freedom , which began March 19 , 2003 . His aviation command assignments include Patrol Squadron 46 ( VP - 46 ) at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island , Washington , and Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 1 / CTF57 / CTF 72 at Kami Seya , Japan . Task Force 57 was heavily involved in Operation Enduring Freedom as squadrons and aircrews under his command flew nearly 1 , 000 P - 3 and EP - 3 surveillance and reconnaissance sorties over Afghanistan . Additional Flag Officer command assignments included Joint Task Force Guantanamo , U . S . Sixth Fleet , and Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO . While commanding Sixth Fleet , he was designated as the Joint Force Maritime Component Commander for Operation Odyssey Dawn , the U . S . - led coalition operation against Libya . 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 ; and Special Assistant / Chief Speechwriter 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 a MIT Seminar 21 fellow . Admiral Harris has logged 4400 flight hours , including over 400 combat hours , in U . S . and foreign maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft . He is the United States Navy ' s highest - ranking Japanese American . His personal decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal , the Navy Distinguished Service Medal ( 2 awards ) , the Defense Superior Service Medal ( 3 awards ) , the Legion of Merit ( 3 awards ) , the Bronze Star Medal ( 2 awards ) , the Meritorious Service Medal ( 4 awards ) , Air Medal ( 1 strike / flight ) , the Joint Service Commendation Medal , the Navy Commendation Medal ( 5 awards ) , the Navy Achievement Medal , the Department of State Distinguished Honor Award and various campaign and unit decorations . He is a recipient of the Navy League ’ s Stephen Decatur Award for Operational Competence . 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 and was responsible for Navy current operations , the Navy Command Center , and anti - terrorism / force protection policy . Commander , Joint Task Force Guantanamo . In March 2006 , he assumed command of Joint Task Force Guantanamo in Cuba . His service was notable as he was in charge when three prisoners , Mani Shaman Turki al - Habardi Al - Utaybi , Salah Ali Abdullah Ahmed al - Salami and Yasser Talal Al Zahrani , died in the custody of US forces . Defense reported the deaths as suicides . Harris said at the time , 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 . The report suggested there had either been gross negligence or an attempt to cover up homicides , perhaps due to torture . On 18 January 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 . 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 . I was located about a mile outside the regular camp boundaries . 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 , Florida . He was involed in planning for Operation Willing Spirit ( the rescue of American hostages held hostage in Colombia ) . Deputy Chief of Naval Operations ( OPNAV N6 ) . He 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 . Commander , U . S . Sixth Fleet . In November 2009 , Harris assumed command of the U . S . 6th Fleet and the Striking and Support Forces NATO . He concurrently served as the Joint Force Maritime Component commander , Naples ; 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 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 Secretary of State . He is also the designated U . S . roadmap Monitor for the Middle East Peace Process . Commander of the United States Pacific Fleet . Harris was promoted to admiral and assumed command of the United States Pacific Fleet on October 16 , 2013 .