Admiral tells KU students why they should care about the Pacific

The Commander of the United States Pacific Command (USPACOM), Admiral Harry B. Harris Jr., left, passes Army ROTC students at KU's Malott Hall, Tuesday, Dec. 1, before a presentation to Army, Navy and Marines ROTC students.

Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., commander of the United States Pacific Command, helped Kansas University students understand why they should care about the Pacific — as well as potential threats to the country — in a talk Tuesday morning at KU.

Among his topics for the crowd of nearly 100 attendees were U.S. “rebalancing” efforts in the Pacific, threats posed by North Korea and China, and how students in the audience could be better leaders.

Of the admiral’s 37 years in the Navy, he said he’s spent about 42 percent of his time beyond the contiguous United States, and he enjoys being overseas.

Harris said the Pacific Command area of responsibility covers about 52 percent of the planet. He commands more than 350,000 military and civilian personnel.

The Commander of the United States Pacific Command (USPACOM), Admiral Harry B. Harris Jr., left, passes Army ROTC students at KU's Malott Hall, Tuesday, Dec. 1, before a presentation to Army, Navy and Marines ROTC students.

“My relatives in Tennessee always ask me about, ‘Why should I care about the Pacific?'” he said.

He answered the question using a world map with a circle encompassing an area with boundaries west of India, south of the Indonesian islands, east of Japan and north to southern Russia.

“About half the world’s population lives there,” he said. “By 2050, 70 percent of the world’s population will be in that circle.”

Using another map, Harris explained to the students which of the countries are U.S. allies, which are nuclear weapon-capable and where some of the largest armies are present.

“Many of these countries don’t get along with each other, and many of our allies don’t get along with each other,” he said. “So you have all these pressures that are in the Indo-Asian Pacific.”

Harris said the biggest threat he faces in the Pacific is North Korea.

“This guy (Kim Jong Un) is an unpredictable, ruthless, irrational actor, and completely in command of his country and his military,” Harris said. “He’s on a quest for nuclear weapons, the means to miniaturize them and means to deliver them intercontinentally.”

Harris also discussed the growing power of China. According to the Stockholm International Peace Institute, China’s military expenditure increased 167 percent from 2005 to 2014.

Harris said the former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping preached strategic patience and keeping a low profile, but when President Xi Jinping was elected in 2012, that changed quickly.

“They changed from being a nation of patience to a nation in a hurry,” he said.

Harris discussed the United States’ rebalancing efforts in the Pacific, which include political, military, economic and diplomatic components. He said the military is the most visible component, but the economic one is the most important.

“The rebalance is about us. It’s about the United States and what we believe in and the values we hold dear,” Harris said.

After his briefing, he gave students a chance to ask questions and offered some advice. Of the approximately 75 ROTC students in attendance, about 10 were of the Marines ROTC; the rest were approximately split between Army and Navy ROTC.

“You have to think jointly. The fact that you’re all in this room together, and that you’re in the same building across the street over there, I think it gets you thinking jointly early,” Harris said. “It’s important. It’s the way we are structured, and it puts us at an advantage over other countries.”

One student asked Harris what leadership advice he could give them.

“You can’t do it alone,” Harris responded. “Think about the folks who work with you and for you, and who you’re working for, and try to be a good follower before you become a leader.”

KU Naval Science instructor Jesse Schrader, who was a submariner on the U.S.S. Michigan, said he thought the admiral’s visit was a great opportunity for his students, comparing it to a CEO visiting a business school.

“The CEO comes to talk to the business (students), why? ‘I was once in your spot. This is how I got to my current position,'” Schrader said. “So I think the same thing applies for an admiral to come talk to students and say, jointly, this is where we need to go, and it brings them all together.”

Schrader said he was pleased with the “good showing” of students.

“They brought a good number of questions, so they came prepared and eager to engage with the admiral — not just sit there and observe, but to ask; probe,” he said.