William J. Fallon

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Admiral William J. Fallon

William Joseph "Fox" Fallon (born December 30, 1944 in Merchantville , New Jersey ) is a former admiral in the US Navy and was commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM) until March 28, 2008 , responsible for American military operations in 25 countries in the Middle East in the region between the Horn of Africa and Central Asia and commanding over 250,000 US soldiers.

Military career

Early years of service

After graduating from Villanova University in 1967, William Fallon became an officer within the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps and completed his pilot training in December of that year. Fallon began his active service in a Vietnam mission as a pilot of an RA-5C "Vigilante" and from 1974 with an A-6 "Intruder" . Fallon served 24 years as a pilot in attack squadrons and carrier squadrons and was u. a. deployed in the Mediterranean , Atlantic , Pacific and Indian Oceans , he was stationed on the USS Saratoga , the USS Ranger , the USS Nimitz , the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and the USS Theodore Roosevelt . During this time he completed 1,300 carrier landings and over 4,800 flight hours in combat aircraft .

After the cold war

During Operation Desert Storm in 1991 he was Commander Air Group (CAG) in command of Carrier Air Wing Eight on the USS Theodore Roosevelt . During the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina Fallon was in 1995 as commander of the Roosevelt - aircraft carrier battle group used and commanded the combat troops of the 6th Fleet ( Battle Force Sixth Fleet (CTF 60) ). Until 2000 he commanded the 2nd fleet and from 1997 the Striking Fleet Atlantic .

Fallon's uses as a flag officer included a. as Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of the US Atlantic Fleet , Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander of the Atlantic Command and from 2000 to 2003 as Vice Chief of Naval Operations . Before he took command of the PACOM in 2005, he had commanded the US Fleet Forces Command , the successor to the Atlantic Command , and the Atlantic Fleet since 2003 .

Secretary of Defense Gates , Adm. Fallon and Abizaid , 2007.
General Petraeus , Secretary of Defense Gates, MajGen. Gaskin , Adm. Fallon, LTG Odierno and Gen. Pace , 2007.

In January 2007 it was announced that Fallon should replace General John Abizaid as commander of the US Central Command . The Armed Services Committee of the US Senate approved this on February 7, 2007. Fallon's successor at US Pacific Command was Admiral Timothy J. Keating , who had previously commanded the US Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). On March 12, 2007, Fallon gave up command of PACOM and took over command of CENTCOM from General Abizaid on March 16. Since the US Senate had not yet confirmed Keating's nomination, Fallon's deputy, Daniel P. Leaf , temporarily assumed command of PACOM.

Sudden resignation

Fallon kept command of CENTCOM for just under a year. US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates stated on March 11, 2008 that the Admiral had submitted his resignation and asked for his retirement. His resignation took effect on March 28th and retired on May 1st. Until the nomination and confirmation of a successor by the US Senate, Fallon's previous deputy Lieutenant General Martin E. Dempsey took over command of CENTCOM, with Dempsey himself already being nominated for another command ( 7th US Army / US Army Europe). General David H. Petraeus assumed the post on October 31st . Fallon had expressed himself in a report in "Esquire Magazine" critical of Iran policy and a possible military strike by the Bush administration.

According to a Washington Times article , Fallon was unofficially asked to resign after being unable to prevent enemy fighters and ammunition from seeping into occupied Iraq and attempting to resolve problems diplomatically rather than militarily.

Special features and awards

Fallon's career as an admiral is a rarity in modern US military history, as he was in his fourth four-star post in command of CENTCOM and admirals typically retire after five years of admiral rank or after 40 years of service. Fallon had been an admiral for seven years when he took up the position of CENTCOM commander and had already served forty years.

William Fallon is a graduate of Naval War College , National War College and holds a Masters of Arts in International Studies from Old Dominion University.

Awards

Selection of decorations, sorted based on the Order of Precedence of Military Awards :

Web links

Commons : William J. Fallon  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Gates shakes up US command in Iraq (CNN January 5, 2007; English)
  2. ↑ Senate confirms Fallon as CentCom chief ( Memento of February 14, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) ( Marine Corps Times of February 8, 2007; English)
  3. ^ Gates Recommends PACOM, NORTHCOM Successors; DoD Official Resigns (February 2, 2007)
  4. ↑ Admiral Fallon takes Command ( Memento from September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (CENTCOM.mil from March 16, 2007; English)
  5. ↑ Fallon leaves PaCom to take CentCom reins ( Memento of March 13, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (Marine Corps Times of March 13, 2007; English)
  6. ↑ The Man Between War and Peace (Esquire.com, March 11, 2008; English)
  7. ↑ Spiegel-Online: Bush's top commander for Iraq and Afghanistan resigns (as of March 11, 2008)
  8. ↑ Gates Accepts Resignation of CENTCOM Chief Fallon (DefenseLink.mil of March 11, 2008; English)
  9. ↑ Warriors welcome Fallon's resignation ( The Washington Times, March 13, 2008; English)
predecessor Office successor
Robert J. Natter Commander of the US Fleet Forces Command
2003–2005 		John B. Nathman
personal data
SURNAME Fallon, William J.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Fallon, William Joseph (full name); Fallon, Fox (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American admiral
DATE OF BIRTH December 30, 1944
PLACE OF BIRTH Merchantville , New Jersey