Craig Stephen Faller (born 1961) is a retired

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

admiral. A 1983 graduate of the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

and a native of

Fryburg, Pennsylvania Washington Township is a township in Clarion County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,869 at the 2020 census, a decrease from the figure of 1,887 tabulated in 2010. Geography The township is located in northern Clarion County an ...

, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering. He earned his master's in national security affairs (strategic planning) from the Naval Postgraduate School in 1990. Faller assumed duty as senior military assistant to the secretary of defense in January 2017. In that position, he served as the principal military advisor and assistant to the secretary of defense. On November 26, 2018, he succeeded Admiral Kurt W. Tidd as commander of

United States Southern Command The United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), located in Doral, Florida in Greater Miami, is one of the eleven unified combatant commands in the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for providing contingency planning, o ...

Naval career

At sea, Faller served as reactor electrical division officer, electrical officer, and reactor training assistant aboard ; operations officer aboard ; station officer aboard , and executive officer of . As commanding officer of , he deployed to the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bod ...

and participated in maritime interception operations in support of United Nations sanctions against Iraq. During his tour as commanding officer of , he assisted victims of the devastating tsunami off Indonesia. Finally, as commander, Carrier Strike Group 3, he deployed to the Middle East, supporting Operations New Dawn (Iraq) and Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan). Ashore, Faller was assigned to chief of legislative affairs for the Secretary of the Navy; served as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Plans, Policy and Operations); served as a legislative fellow on the staff of Senator Edward M. Kennedy. Ashore also served as head of Surface Nuclear Officer Programs and Placement at Navy Personnel Command and served as executive assistant to the Chief of naval operations. Finally, he served as commander, Navy Recruiting Command; as executive assistant to the commander,

United States Pacific Command United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) is a unified combatant command of the United States Armed Forces responsible for the Indo-Pacific region. Formerly known as United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) since its inception in 1947, ...

and commander,

United States Central Command The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilities of the Rapid Deployment Joint Ta ...

; and as Director of Operations, United States Central Command. He retired from active duty on October 29, 2021, relinquishing command of SOUTHCOM to General

Laura J. Richardson Laura Jane Richardson (born December 11, 1963) is a four-star general in the United States Army who is the commander of United States Southern Command since October 29, 2021. Prior to that, she was the commanding general of United States Army No ...

Awards and decorations

*Admiral Faller also received the Navy Recruiter Badge with gold wreath.
Navy_Recruiting_Gold_Wreath

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Faller, Craig S. 1961 births Living people People from Clarion County, Pennsylvania United States Naval Academy alumni Naval Postgraduate School alumni Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Navy admirals Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal Military personnel from Pennsylvania