John Kirby
Pentagon Press Secretary
John Francis Kirby was born in 1963 in St. Petersburg, Florida. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of South Florida in Tampa. He holds a Master of Science in international relations from Troy University and a Master of Arts in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College.
He was commissioned in the U.S. Navy after completing Officer Candidate School and qualified as a Surface Warfare Officer aboard the guided-missile frigate USS Aubrey Fitch. He later transferred to the Restricted Line as a Public Affairs officer, rising to become a special assistant for public affairs for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He served as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for media operations under the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. He was appointed strategic communication counsel to the Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Operations. He retired from the Navy in 2015 with the rank of Rear Admiral.
During President Obama’s administration, he was appointed Pentagon Press Secretary. He later would become the spokesman for the U.S. Department of State. He left office following the inauguration of President Trump.
He was chosen to reprise his role as Pentagon press secretary by President Joe Biden, holding that position as well as being Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs.
In the News…
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby stated that the United States has already sent roughly half a dozen lethal aid shipments to Ukraine as part of the $800 million package President Biden’s administration pledged in early March.
He reported that a combination of weapons systems and “support and sustainment items,” such as food, body armor, helmets, medical and first-aid kits, small arms, and ammunition, have already left the U.S. for Ukraine, as a means of fortifying the Ukrainian army in its conflict with Russia.
“Those shipments are already arriving. In fact, from the time [President Joe Biden] signed the order to the first shipment going on its way was like four days… and there’s already been about a half a dozen shipments that have flowed into the [Ukraine] region.”
The press secretary added, “Things aren’t sitting long at these intermediate staging shipment sites before they’re getting picked up by convoys and taken into Ukraine. So, four days is pretty quick.”
