Biography
Admiral William J. Fallon retired from the U.S. Navy after a distinguished forty-year career of military and strategic leadership. He led U.S. and Allied forces in eight separate commands and played a leadership role in military and diplomatic matters at the highest levels of the U.S. government. As head of U. S. Central Command, Admiral Fallon directed all U.S. military operations in the Middle East, Central Asia, and Horn of Africa, focusing on combat efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. He led the U.S. Pacific command for two years, directing political-military activities in the Asia-Pacific region. His achievements include a resumption of military engagement with China, new outreach to India, an agreement on a strategic framework with Japan, and humanitarian assistance to the victims of the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia. He also served as presidential envoy to Japan, handling bilateral relations after the collision of a U. S. submarine and a Japanese fishing vessel.
Admiral Fallon began his Navy career as a combat aviator flying from an aircraft carrier during the Vietnam War and participated in many vital U. S. military operations during the Cold War. He led a Carrier Air Wing in combat during the Gulf War of 1991 and commanded a Navy Battle Group and the U. S. Sixth Fleet Battle Force during NATO military operations in Bosnia. On September 11, 2001, Admiral Fallon was serving in the Pentagon as Vice Chief of the Navy. He personally directed the recovery of the Navy staff in the wake of the attack and led the planning of the retaliatory attacks on Al Qaeda and Taliban forces in Afghanistan. He later commanded U. S. Atlantic Fleet and U. S. Fleet Forces Command, with responsibility for the readiness of U. S. Naval forces worldwide.
Following retirement from the Navy, Admiral Fallon was a Robert E Wilhelm fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Center for International Studies. He serves on the Global Affairs Advisory Board of Occidental College and the Advisory Board of the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University. He is a graduate of Villanova University, the U. S. Naval War College, the National War College, and has an MA in International Studies from Old Dominion University. He has been awarded honorary doctoral degrees from Villanova and Old Dominion University.
Admiral Fallon has served as a director on many international corporate, nonprofit, and philanthropic boards and as a partner/officer in numerous business entities. He is currently chairman of the board of Go Secure Inc., a company in the cybersecurity business, a partner in Tilwell Petroleum, Global Alliance Advisors LLC, and Ten Eleven Ventures. He has been a member of the experts panel to the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the U. S., served as Co-Chair of the Center for Strategic and International Studies Commission on Smart Global Health Policy, and served as Co-Chair of the National Association of Corporate Directors Blue Ribbon Commission on Risk Management. Admiral Fallon is currently a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Board of the American Security Project.
During his time in military service and since retirement from the Navy, Admiral Fallon has traveled extensively throughout the world, meeting with senior leaders and heads of government in countries from every continent on earth. He has been involved in Track One and Track Two diplomatic negotiations in several countries, notably China, Russia, and North Korea. He has visited Taiwan and Jordan within the past twelve months and met with the heads of government in both countries. He currently maintains personal relationships with many international leaders.
Author of many articles, reports and studies, he is a frequent speaker at fora around the world, presenting recent lectures or giving speeches in the U. S., Canada, Netherlands, India, Taiwan, Japan, Jordan, Qatar, and China. Admiral Fallon is frequently requested to provide comment or offer opinion on global television/radio networks, notably appearing on PBS, NPR, CNN, FOX, BBC France 24, TRT, NHK and Al Jazeera.