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Vice Admiral Harry B. Harris Jr
Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
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Vice Admiral Harris was born in Japan, and reared in Tennessee and Florida. Following graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1978 and designation as a naval flight officer, he was assigned to Patrol Squadron 44. His subsequent operational tours include tactical action officer aboard USS Saratoga (CV 60);operations officer in VP-4; three tours with Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 1 at Kami Seya, Japan; director of Operations for U.S. 5th Fleet at Manama, Bahrain; and director of Operations for U.S. Southern Command.
Harris commanded VP-46, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 1, and Joint Task Force-Guantanamo. From November 2009 to October 2011, he commanded the U.S. 6th Fleet and Striking and Support Forces NATO, both at Naples Italy.
Harris has served in every geographic combatant command, and participated in the following named operations: Attain Document (Libya, 1986), Earnest Will (Kuwaiti reflagged tanker ops, 1987-88), Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and Odyssey Dawn/Unified Protector (Libya, 2011). For Odyssey Dawn, he served as the Joint Force Maritime Component commander.
Harris’ postgraduate education includes Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, Georgetown's School of Foreign Service, and Oxford University. He was an Admiral Arthur S. Moreau scholar and a MIT Seminar XXI fellow.
Harris' staff assignments include aide to Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Japan; special assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and three tours on the Navy Staff, including deputy chief of Naval Operations for Communication Networks (OPNAV N6).
In October 2011, he was assigned as the assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Harris has logged 4,400 flight hours, including over 400 combat hours, in maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft. His personal decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal (2 awards) Defense Superior Service Medal (3 awards), Legion of Merit (3 awards), the Bronze Star (2 awards), and the Air Medal strike/flight). He is a recipient of the Navy League’s Stephen Decatur Award for Operational Competence.