WILLIAM J. FALLON

'William Joseph Fallon' (born December 30 1944) is an Admiral in the United States Navy and the Commander of U.S. Central Command.^[2]

Contents

Early life

Military service

United States Central Command

Notes

External links

Early life

Fallon was born in East Orange, New Jersey and raised in Merchantville, New Jersey. ^[3] He earned a diploma from Camden Catholic High School in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.^[4] A 1967 graduate of Villanova University, he received his commission through the Navy ROTC Program and was designated a Naval Flight Officer upon completion of flight training in December 1967.
Fallon is a graduate of the Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island, the National War College in Washington, D.C., and has a Master of Arts Degree in International Studies from Old Dominion University.

Military service

Fallon began his Naval Aviation career flying in the RA-5C Vigilante with a combat deployment to Vietnam, transitioning to the A-6 Intruder in 1974. He served in flying assignments with Attack Squadrons and Carrier Air Wings for twenty-four years, deploying to the Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans embarked in , , , and . He has logged more than 1,300 carrier arrested landings and 4,800 flight hours in tactical jet aircraft.
Fallon commanded Attack Squadron 65 (U.S. Navy) embarked in ''Dwight D. Eisenhower'', Medium Attack Wing One at NAS Oceana, Va., and Carrier Air Wing Eight in ''Theodore Roosevelt'' during a combat deployment to the Persian Gulf for Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Assigned as Commander, Carrier Group Eight in 1995, he deployed to the Mediterranean as Commander, ''Theodore Roosevelt'' Battle Group and commanded Battle Force Sixth Fleet (CTF 60) during NATO’s combat Operation Deliberate Force in Bosnia. Adm. Fallon served as Commander, Second Fleet and Commander, Striking Fleet Atlantic from November 1997 to September 2000.
Shore duties included assignment as Aide and Flag Lieutenant to the Commander, Fleet Air Jacksonville, and to the staffs of Commander, Reconnaissance Attack Wing One; Commander, Operational Test Force, and Commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. He has served as Deputy Director for Operations, Joint Task Force, Southwest Asia in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and as Deputy Director, Aviation Plans and Requirements on the Staff of the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington, D.C. His first flag officer assignment was with NATO as Assistant Chief of Staff, Plans and Policy for Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic. He was then assigned as Deputy and Chief of Staff, U.S. Atlantic Fleet followed by assignment as Deputy Commander in Chief and Chief of Staff, U.S. Atlantic Command. Nominated for his fourth star, he became the 31st Vice Chief of Naval Operations in October 2000.
In February 2001, while serving as Vice Chief of Naval Operations, Fallon was sent to Japan as a Presidential Special Envoy to apologize for the submarine 's collision with the Ehime Maru.
He was then nominated and confirmed for assignment as the Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command and U.S. Atlantic Fleet from October 2003 to February 2005. His assignment as Commander, Pacific Command was his third four star assignment -- a rarity for military officers.
During his tenure as head of the U.S. Pacific Command, Fallon took a conciliatory approach towards China, a position that drew the ire of hardliners including Washington Times reporter Bill Gertz.
His awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, and various unit and campaign decorations.

United States Central Command

On January 4, 2007, President Bush nominated Fallon for his fourth four star command to replace John Abizaid, who was retiring from the US Army, as Commander of the United States Central Command, (CENTCOM)^[5]. The Secretary of Defense has nominated Admiral Timothy J. Keating as his relief.
The United States Senate confirmed Admiral Fallon as the first Navy admiral to command CENTCOM on February 7.^[6][7] He relieved General Abizaid on 16 March 2007.

Notes

1. CentCom gets new commander William R. Levesque
2. Naming new generals a key step in shift on Iraq
3. Shanker, Thom (January 8, 2007). Adm. William J. Fallon: An Experienced Naval Officer, and a Diplomat. ''New York Times''
4. Camden: an Admiral's Making Edward Colimore
5. Replacements for Generals Abizaid and Casey
6. Flaherty, Anne (February 8, 2007). Senate confirms Fallon for CentCom chief. ''AP''
7. U.S. Commander: No civil war in Iraq Kyra Phillips

External links

★ Official biography on Armed Forces Information Services