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Samuel Paparo
Born	1964 (age 61–62) Morton, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Navy
Service years	1987–present
Rank	Admiral
Commands	United States Indo-Pacific Command United States Pacific Fleet United States Naval Forces Central Command United States Fifth Fleet Combined Maritime Forces Carrier Strike Group 10 Carrier Air Wing Seven VFA-106 Provincial Reconstruction Team VFA-195[1]
Conflicts	War in Afghanistan Iraq War
Awards	Navy Distinguished Service Medal (2) Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit (4) Bronze Star
Alma mater	Villanova University (BA) Old Dominion University (MA) Naval Postgraduate School (MS)

Samuel John Paparo Jr. (born 1964) is a United States Navy four-star admiral serving as the 27th Commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command, the nation’s oldest and largest geographic combatant command.^[2] A TOPGUN-trained naval aviator with combat experience spanning three decades, Paparo has commanded at every level from fighter squadron to combatant command, with the rare distinction of having led forces both from the cockpit and on the ground in combat.^[3] He oversees approximately 380,000 military and civilian personnel responsible for all U.S. military activities across 36 nations, 14 time zones, and a region encompassing more than half the world’s population.^[4]

Paparo grew up in Morton, Pennsylvania, a working-class borough in Delaware County outside Philadelphia.^[5] He is the son of a former enlisted Marine and the grandson of a World War II enlisted sailor. He attended Cardinal O'Hara High School in Springfield, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Villanova University in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.^[5][6] He was commissioned through the Aviation Officer Candidate School at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. Paparo subsequently earned a Master of Arts in International Studies from Old Dominion University and a Master of Science in Systems Analysis from the Naval Postgraduate School. He is a graduate of the Air Command and Staff College, Air War College, Naval War College, and the Joint and Combined Warfighting School at the Joint Forces Staff College.^[4]

Paparo earned his wings as a naval aviator through the Navy’s Strike pipeline and was later designated a Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor (SFTI) as a graduate of the Navy Fighter Weapons School, known as TOPGUN.^[5] He has logged over 6,000 flight hours in the F-14 Tomcat, F-15 Eagle, and F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet, and has made more than 1,100 carrier landings.^[5] His early fleet assignments included Fighter Squadron 14 (VF-14) aboard USS John F. Kennedy and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Strike Fighter Squadron 15 (VFA-15) aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Enterprise.^[4] He also served on exchange duty with the U.S. Air Force, flying the F-15C Eagle with the 71st Fighter Squadron, deploying to Saudi Arabia and Iceland.^[4]

On the opening night of Operation Enduring Freedom in October 2001, Paparo flew combat missions over Afghanistan, destroying a surface-to-air missile site near Kandahar during the initial strikes of the war.^[3]

From 2004 to 2006, Paparo commanded Strike Fighter Squadron 195 (VFA-195), the “Dambusters,” stationed at Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan, as part of the Navy’s only permanently forward-deployed carrier air wing.^[4][7] The Dambusters, named for their destruction of the Hwacheon Dam in the Korean War, deployed with the USS Kitty Hawk Strike Group, maintaining a rapid-response posture across the Western Pacific.^[7]

In a highly unusual assignment for a naval aviator, Paparo commanded the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan, from 2007 to 2008, serving alongside the 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division and the 173rd Airborne Brigade.^[4][8] Nuristan was among the most remote and contested regions of the Afghan theater, bordering Pakistan’s tribal areas.^[3] Paparo led a joint force of over 100 soldiers, sailors, airmen, and civilians, overseeing counterinsurgency and development operations in terrain so austere that resupply was often possible only by helicopter.^[8]

Under his command, the PRT supervised construction of the Titin Bridge linking Nuristan’s western and central valleys, executed an unprecedented intra-theater relocation to establish the province’s first permanent PRT presence, and developed a Small Rewards Program that resulted in the collection of heavy weapons, small arms, rocket-propelled grenades, and a shoulder-fired thermobaric weapon.^[8] Paparo’s approach emphasized engagement with local tribal leaders and a patient counterinsurgency philosophy focused on winning the trust of the population.^[3]

The assignment later drew attention in Jake Tapper’s book The Outpost (2012), an account of Combat Outpost Keating in Nuristan, where Paparo is portrayed navigating the complex tribal dynamics of the province, mediating between warring local factions, and working to establish enough stability for civilian development organizations to operate.^[3] Tapper’s account depicts Paparo as deeply committed to the counterinsurgency model, wary of heavy-handed actions that risked alienating the population the coalition was trying to protect.^[3]

Paparo served as deputy commander and then commander of Carrier Air Wing 7 (CVW-7) from 2009 to 2012, embarked aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. ^[7] The air wing comprised eight squadrons with approximately 1,500 personnel, operating F/A-18C/E/F Hornets and Super Hornets, E-2C Hawkeye airborne command and control, EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare, and SH-60 Seahawk helicopters. Rear Admiral Michael Manazir, in remarks at the change of command, praised Paparo’s ability to “grab a hold of an entire ship and infuse his passion, not only into his aviators but his maintainers and leaders.” ^[9]

From 2017 to 2018, Paparo commanded Carrier Strike Group 10, built around USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, Carrier Air Wing 3, guided-missile cruisers USS San Jacinto, USS Vella Gulf, and USS Monterey, and a destroyer squadron including USS Stout, USS Oscar Austin, and USS McFaul. ^[10][11] In September 2017, following Hurricane Irma’s devastation of the Florida Keys, Paparo directed the strike group’s task force in Defense Support of Civil Authorities operations, clearing roads, restoring flight operations at Naval Air Station Key West, and coordinating restoration of critical utilities alongside the Florida National Guard and FEMA.^[11]

Paparo served as the Director of Operations (J3) at United States Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, where he oversaw operational planning across the Middle East theater. He also served as Battle Director at the Combined Air and Space Operations Center, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. ^[4][11]

Promoted to Vice Admiral, Paparo commanded United States Naval Forces Central Command, the United States Fifth Fleet, and Combined Maritime Forces from August 2020 to May 2021, headquartered in Bahrain. ^[12][13] In this capacity, he directed all U.S. naval forces in the Middle East and coordinated a 33-nation international naval coalition responsible for maritime security operations supporting stability in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, and Indian Ocean, including operations in support of the conflicts in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan.

On May 5, 2021, Paparo assumed command of the United States Pacific Fleet, the world’s largest fleet command, encompassing approximately 200 ships, 150,000 sailors and civilians, and an area of operations spanning 100 million square miles from the Arctic to Antarctica and from the U.S. West Coast to the Indian Ocean. ^[14] In March 2023, Paparo gained widespread public recognition through a double-length segment on CBS’s 60 Minutes, in which correspondent Norah O’Donnell interviewed him aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in the Western Pacific. [17]^[15] In the interview, Paparo framed the strategic challenge posed by China’s rapid naval expansion, noting that the People’s Republic of China Navy had grown from roughly 37 vessels in the early 2000s to 350. Asked whether the U.S. Navy was prepared to defend Taiwan, Paparo responded: “We’re ready, yes. I’ll never admit to being ready enough.” The segment drew praise from the naval affairs community for presenting the service’s posture with candor and nuance.^[16] Paparo’s TOPGUN background drew additional media attention, with 60 Minutes noting he discussed the realism of flight sequences in Top Gun: Maverick with his children. ^[17]

Nominated in July 2023 and confirmed by the Senate in February 2024, Paparo assumed command of United States Indo-Pacific Command on May 3, 2024, in a ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam attended by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Q. Brown Jr., and ambassadors from allied nations. ^[2][18] He succeeded Admiral John C. Aquilino as the 27th commander of the combatant command. ^[6]

In 2023, Paparo was among the candidates considered for the position of Chief of Naval Operations, though Admiral Lisa Franchetti was ultimately selected. ^[19] Following Franchetti’s removal by President Donald Trump in February 2025, Paparo was again reported as a leading contender for the post but reportedly declined consideration, choosing to remain focused on the Indo-Pacific Command.^[20]

In May 2025, Paparo delivered the commencement address at Villanova University’s 182nd graduation ceremony and received an honorary Doctor of Military Science degree. ^[6] His daughter Elizabeth, a member of the Class of 2025, introduced him at the ceremony. University President Rev. Peter Donohue described Paparo as “a man that believes in truth” who is “very committed to making world peace and keeping people safe.” ^[21] During his command of the Fifth Fleet, Paparo was awarded the Order of Khalifa by the King of Bahrain in recognition of his service strengthening the bilateral security relationship and his leadership of the 33-nation Combined Maritime Forces coalition.

Paparo is married to Maureen, also a graduate of Villanova University. They have six children.^[22]

	Naval Aviator insignia
	Command at Sea insignia

	Navy Distinguished Service Medal with award star[23][24]
	Defense Superior Service Medal
	Legion of Merit (29 March 2018[11]), with three gold award stars
	Bronze Star Medal
	Defense Meritorious Service Medal
	Meritorious Service Medal with two award stars
	Air Medal with one bronze service star, Combat V and bronze Strike/Flight numeral "6"
	Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal
	Air Force Commendation Medal
	Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal
	Army Achievement Medal
	Joint Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf cluster
	Navy Unit Commendation with service star
	Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation with service star
	Navy "E" Ribbon with three Battle E devices
	Combat Readiness Medal
	National Defense Service Medal with service star
	Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
	Iraq Campaign Medal with service star
	Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
	Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
	Armed Forces Service Medal
	Humanitarian Service Medal
	Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal
	Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with one silver and three bronze service stars
	Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon with three service stars
	The Khalifiyyeh Order of Bahrain, 2nd Class
	NATO Medal for service with ISAF with service star
	Navy Expert Rifleman Medal
	Navy Expert Pistol Shot Medal

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• Media related to Samuel J. Paparo, Jr. at Wikimedia Commons