Navy back in running for top job in Pacific

By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer

A Navy admiral again appears to be a leading candidate to head up U.S. Pacific Command in Hawai'i, continuing a pattern in place since 1947.

Fallon

Fargo

"I'd say Fallon, if you were a betting man. Put good odds on Fallon, but don't put the whole family farm on it," said Norman Polmar, an analyst and naval historian in Alexandria, Va.

In October, an Air Force general who had been nominated for the job withdrew his name after being grilled during Senate confirmation hearings over a troubled Boeing tanker contract.

Loren Thompson, a defense analyst with the Lexington Institute in Arlington, Va., said he also has heard Fallon's name mentioned as a pick for Pacific Command. Navy Vice Adm. Gary Roughead took over the job of deputy commander in October. The job had belonged largely to non-Navy officers since 1981.

The move would create "one of those odd circumstances where there will be a Navy guy in both the deputy and top slots," Thompson said.

Before Roughead, Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert R. Dierker held the job from August 2002 to this past October.

A change of command for Fargo reportedly is scheduled for Feb. 26. The four-star admiral was supposed to step down on Nov. 8 and retire from the Navy on Jan. 1.

U.S. Pacific Command yesterday would not confirm any change of command date. Fargo is in Thailand now.

Polmar said two other officers have been mentioned as candidates for Fargo's job. Adm. Walter F. Doran, the four-star officer in charge of U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor since 2002, has been mentioned as a possible successor.

"It certainly wouldn't surprise me that Admiral Doran was or may be under consideration," U.S. Rep. Ed Case said yesterday, adding he had no knowledge of the Pentagon's latest pick. "He is capable in all of those areas."

Pacific Fleet could not be reached for comment yesterday.

U.S. Pacific Command covers half the globe and includes hundreds of thousands of troops in a 43-country region extending from the West Coast to eastern Africa.

Fargo stayed in the post after Air Force Gen. Gregory "Speedy" Martin was fiercely questioned by Arizona Sen. John McCain at a confirmation hearing in October. McCain, R-Ariz., grilled Martin over what he knew about an Air Force official who steered a multibillion-dollar tanker contract to Boeing and later got a high-paying job with the company. Martin denied any knowledge of the deal or wrongdoing, but subsequently withdrew his name from consideration.

The selection of Martin, head of the Air Force Materiel Command, was seen as part of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's desire to break the services of any sense of ownership of regional commands. If Martin had been confirmed by the Senate, it would have been the first time since 1947 that an officer other than a Navy admiral led the command, with the exception of an eight-day stint by an Army general in 1994.

Case, D-Hawai'i, said he had looked at Fallon's resume, and said he "appears to be a superlative representative of our country's military."

Fallon's first flag officer assignment was with NATO as assistant chief of staff, plans and policy for the Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic. Fallon was a pilot in Vietnam, has more than 1,300 carrier landings, and served in Operation Desert Storm.

"The guy's got it from the front lines to the commander lines. He obviously knows his stuff militarily," Case said. "He has spent time in positions that are certainly diplomatic or quasi-diplomatic. NATO would be an obvious observation." Case said with Pacific Command covering half the globe, "we certainly need a pretty strong Navy component, but it's not automatic that you need (the Pacific Command commander) to be coming out of the Navy."

U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye, D-Hawai'i, previously said Pacific Command was a "water command" and should be led by an admiral.

Fallon was raised in Merchantville, N.J., is a 1967 graduate of Villanova University, and received his commission through the Navy ROTC program.

Responsible for manning, equipping and training the Atlantic and Pacific fleets, Fallon recently has dealt with issues including a plan to trim the number of sailors on an aircraft carrier, and other efforts to find savings in operations.

Case said the next head of Pacific Command will have a hard act to follow with Fargo most recently, and Adm. Dennis Blair before him.

"I just think they defined the job of (Pacific commander), and that job is not only someone with superior military skills, it is a diplomatic post."

Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-5459.