John Kirby, Pentagon Spokesman, Will Join White House The New York Times

Table Of Content

• Biden administration
• On-the-Record Press Gaggle by White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby
• Military career
• President Biden Announces John Kirby as NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications
• White House national security spokesman John Kirby gets expanded role in Biden administration

A retired Navy rear admiral, he jumped from the Pentagon to the State Department in 2015 and worked closely with John F. Kerry, then the secretary of state, during the Iran nuclear negotiations and for the last two years of the Obama administration. He served as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for media operations,[7] serving under the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. Kirby came to the White House in 2022 as the National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, not long after Karine Jean-Pierre was named White House press secretary, after the departure of former press secretary Jen Psaki.

Biden administration

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon press secretary, John F. Kirby, the voluble public face of the Defense Department for the past year and a half, is moving to the White House in a new role as President Biden’s national security voice, the White House announced on Friday. Today, President Biden announced that John Kirby, who is currently the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, will be the new National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the White House. In this role, Kirby will coordinate interagency efforts to explain United States policy and will serve as a senior administration voice on related matters, including as appropriate at the White House podium. This position will be housed at the NSC and report to the National Security Advisor. In May 2012, Kirby was promoted to rear admiral (lower half)[8] and served as the U.S. As CHINFO, Kirby served as the principal spokesman for the Department of the Navy and provided strategic communication counsel to the Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Operations.

On-the-Record Press Gaggle by White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby

WASHINGTON (AP) — John Kirby, President Joe Biden’s national security spokesman, is getting an expanded role at the White House, according to a U.S. official. Kirby was commissioned in September 1986 after completing Officer Candidate School at Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island. He qualified as a Surface Warfare Officer aboard the guided-missile frigate USS Aubrey Fitch before being designated as a restricted line officer, to serve as a public affairs officer (PAO).

Military career

He led the Navy's public affairs community, which consists of more than 2,700 active and reserve officer, enlisted, and civilian communication professionals. John F. Kirby (born June 3, 1963) is a retired United States Navy rear admiral serving as White House National Security Communications Advisor since 2024. Navy admiral and has been valued in the administration for publicly navigating thorny foreign policy questions with ease. He has also served as the top spokesman at the Pentagon and the State Department during the Obama administration.

Obama administration

Mr. Kirby will work alongside the new White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, who started in her position on Monday, administration officials said. He will serve as the National Security Council’s coordinator for strategic communications and will report directly to Jake Sullivan, Mr. Biden’s national security adviser. Mr. Kirby is a veteran government public affairs officer and has long been a respected figure at the Pentagon.

White House Daily Briefing February 13, 2024 - C-SPAN

White House Daily Briefing February 13, 2024.

Posted: Tue, 13 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Naval Academy; public affairs officer with the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron (Blue Angels); editor-in-chief of the Navy's flagship monthly magazine, All Hands; the staffs of the Chief of Naval Personnel, Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe, Chief of Naval Operations, and the special assistant for public affairs to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He will run a separate team from the national security press team that will coordinate information across agencies, the official said.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby gets expanded role in Biden administration

Under Biden, Kirby has been a regular fixture in the White House press briefing room. John Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman, will focus on national security and work alongside the new White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre. During the Obama administration, Mr. Kirby spent a year as the Pentagon spokesman under Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, and he has been the spokesman for the Navy as well. He was commissioned in the Navy in 1986 and served for nearly three decades.

Pentagon Press Secretary Named to White House Communications Post

We'll be in touch with the latest information on how President Biden and his administration are working for the American people, as well as ways you can get involved and help our country build back better. John Kirby is currently the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. In this role, he advises Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks and serves as the Department’s chief spokesperson. Kirby previously served at the Department of State, as the Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Public Affairs from December 2015 to January 2017 and as the State Department’s spokesperson from May 2015 to January 2017. Prior to the State Department, Kirby served as the Pentagon Press Secretary under Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel.