John Kirby (admiral)

John F. Kirby is a retired United States Navy rear admiral serving as White House National Security Communications Advisor since 2022. He previously served in the Biden administration as Pentagon Press Secretary and Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs from 2021 to 2022. He worked as a military and diplomatic analyst for CNN from 2017 to 2021. He served in the Obama administration as Pentagon Press Secretary from 2013 to 2015 and as the spokesperson for the United States Department of State and Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs from 2015 to 2017.

Some of the key events about John Kirby (admiral)

1985
Graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history
1986
Commissioned in the Navy through Officer Candidate School
2000
Earned a Master of Science degree in international relations from Troy State University
2012
Appointed as the U.S. Navy's Chief of Information
2014
Faced criticism for his handling of media relations during the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
2015
Promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral (lower half)
2015
Received backlash for comments about China's actions in the South China Sea, which some viewed as inflammatory
2017
Became the Pentagon Press Secretary and Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs
2021
Appointed as National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the White House
2022
Promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral (upper half)
2022
Awarded the Defense Distinguished Service Medal
2022
Criticized for perceived lack of transparency in Pentagon press briefings regarding the Ukraine conflict
2022
Faced scrutiny over the Department of Defense's slow response to the Chinese spy balloon incident
2023
Appointed as Assistant to the President and National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications
2023
Came under fire for initially downplaying the leak of classified Pentagon documents

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