US Amb to ROK Harry Harris on East Asia Commerce and Security | Ep 39

Recorded: Oct 8, 2019 A conversation on the U.S.-Korea business relationship, US-Japan relations and U.S. In this episode we hear from the United States Ambassador to the Republic of Korea (ROK) Harry Harris, a Tennessee native. He was in Nashville to visit with business leaders as part of his effort to promote trade ties. Ambassador Harris spoke to a group hosted by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. TNWAC was a partner for the event along with the Tennessee Valley Authority, and the U.S. Commercial Service. Ambassador Harry Harris was confirmed by the United State Senate on June 28, 2018 as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea (ROK) following a distinguished naval career which culminated in commanding the U.S. Pacific Command. He is the first Asian-American to hold four-star rank in the U.S. Navy and the first to head USPACOM. Prior to USPACOM, he commanded the U.S. Pacific Fleet. From 2011 to 2013, Ambassador Harris served as the representative of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the Secretary of State. In this role, he traveled to over 80 countries with the Secretary and participated in most of the Secretary’s meetings with foreign leaders. He also served as the U.S. Roadmap Monitor for the Mid-East Peace Process. Ambassador Harris was born in Japan and reared in Tennessee and Florida. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1978. He holds master’s degrees from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service. He also did post-graduate work at Oxford University and completed the Seminar 21 fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.