New commander named for US Pacific Fleet

HONOLULU — President Donald Trump has named Vice Adm. John Aquilino as the new U.S. Pacific Fleet commander.

Aquilino currently commands the U.S. 5th Fleet operating out of Bahrain.

The U.S. Senate will vote on the nomination that was announced Friday.

Two Pacific Fleet ships were involved in separate collisions near Japan and Singapore last year that killed 17 sailors. The Navy fired several top leaders, including the commander of the 7th Fleet.

The current Pacific Fleet commander, Adm. Scott Swift, announced in September he would retire after he learned he wouldn’t be promoted to lead all U.S. forces in the region at U.S. Pacific Command.

RELATED

New commander of Navy 7th Fleet’s amphibious forces takes over

Rear Adm. Brad Cooper is the latest addition to the 7th Fleet's new leadership team.

By Jon Simkins

The Pacific Fleet is headquartered in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Its ships operated from the U.S. West Coast, Hawaii, Guam and Asia.

In Other News

Chinese surveillance balloon detected over Montana

There are no immediate plans to shoot it down, due to concerns about debris. But steps have been taken to prevent the collection of sensitive information.

2 Marine Raiders, cleared of homicide, get no punishment for drinking

A jury found that Gunnery Sgts. Josh Negron and Danny Draher had violated a lawful general order by consuming alcohol while deployed to Iraq.

Taiwan’s Tsai welcomes retired US admiral for China talks

Retired Adm. Phil Davidson, former head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, warned in 2021 that the island could face an invasion from China this decade.

US to widen military presence in Philippines

The United States and the Philippines have announced an expansion of America’s military presence in the Southeast Asian country.

VA secretary aids in D.C. census count of homeless veterans

Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough joined a group in Washington for a census survey of homeless veterans.

Load More