The distinguished naval career of Admiral Thomas B. Fargo ’70,USN (Ret.), culminated with his assignment as commander ofthe U.S. Pacific Command. As the senior U.S. military commander in East Asia and the Pacific, Fargo led the largest unified command while directing the joint operations of the Army, Navy, MarineCorps and Air Force.
Within 24 hours of the Christmas 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia, Fargo stood up a multinational task force and directed the ABRAHAM LINCOLN Strike Group from Hong Kong along with expeditionary forces to provide relief and support to the governments of Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka.
His 35 years of Navy service included five commands in the Pacific and Indian oceans and the Middle East as well as six tours in Washington.
He formulated a new force posture and footprint strategy for U.S. Pacific Forces in the post-Cold War era as commander of the U.S. Pacific Command; maintained the nation’s strong relationship with Japan and confidence in the Navy and Submarine Force after a tragic collision involving GREENVILLE; and conducted sensitive submarine operations at the height of the Cold War while in command of SALT LAKE CITY.
Fargo said his greatest achievement was “developing and motivating young officers and enlisted men to reach their full potential and continue to make a contribution to their country either within or outside the Navy. I’m probably most proud that significant numbers went on to very meaningful careers in the Navy, including command at sea. Eight officers from my command tour of SALT LAKE CITY went on to command.”
Fargo received the Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale Award for Inspirational Leadership and is a multiple recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal and Legion of Merit.
He became president of the high-tech company Trex Enterprises in 2005. In 2008, he was named a managing director of J.F. Lehman and Co., serving as president and CEO of HSF Holdings/ Hawaii Superferry. He was appointed chairman of Huntington Ingalls Industries in 2011.
Fargo holds the John M. Shalikashvili Chair in National Security Studies at the National Bureau of Asian Research. He also serves as a director on the Naval Academy Foundation Board, co-chaired the 2012 Medal of Honor convention in Hawaii, served as the national vice chairman of the Pearl Harbor Memorial Fund.
Raised in Navy family, his father Commander Thomas A. Boulton ’43, USN and step-father Captain William B. Fargo ’39, USN (Ret.), were both Naval Academy graduates. His mother was a Navy Nurse in World War II. The father of two grown sons, he and his wife Sarah, live in Honolulu, HI.
Updated: November 23, 2025
Curator: Ed Moore