President Donald Trump has nominated U.S. Navy Admiral Harry Harris Jr. to be the next ambassador to Australia.
The White House first indicated the president's intention to nominate Harris on Friday and on Tuesday, announced the admiral's nomination had been sent to the Senate.
Harris' nomination is unique as ambassadors to Australia tend be not be career military officers, but instead, are often political appointees who are friends or donors of the president.
Harris graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1978 and became a flight officer a year later. He has served in a variety of roles throughout the Navy, including in positions at every combatant command in the U.S. military.
The navy admiral has served as head of Pacific Command, headquartered in Hawaii, since May 2015. In that role, Harris has been in charge of military matters for a large swath of the globe, including Australia, China, and the Korean peninsula.
