Juan M. Garcia III

Juan M. Garcia III was confirmed as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) in September 2009. In this capacity, he acts on matters pertaining to manpower and personnel policy within the Department of the Navy, including issues affecting active duty and reserve sailors, Marines and Department of the Navy civilians.

Garcia, whose family hails from south Texas, is an attorney, a former representative in the Texas state legislature and a second-generation naval aviator. He graduated from UCLA in 1988 and earned his law degree from Harvard Law School and his master’s degree from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1992. After graduation, Garcia reported to Aviation Officer Candidate School and flight training, earning his “Wings of Gold” at Naval Air Station (NAS), Corpus Christi, Texas.

Garcia served in Patrol Squadron 47 out of NAS Barber’s Point, Hawaii, and completed deployments to the Persian Gulf and Western Pacific. He also served overseas as flag aide to the deputy commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe in London, England, deploying as part of Operation Allied Force during hostilities in Kosovo.

From 1999-2000, Garcia was one of 16 Americans selected to serve as a White House Fellow, serving as a special assistant to Secretary of Education Richard Riley. Garcia then reported for sea duty aboard the aircraft carrier USS Constellation, serving as the officer of the deck. In 2002, Garcia returned to the air as a flight instructor with Training Squadron 27 at NAS Corpus Christi.

Garcia left active duty in 2004 and transferred to the Navy Reserve. He served as the commanding officer of Reserve Training Squadron 28 at Corpus Christi until becoming Assistant Secretary of the Navy (M&RA).

After he left active duty, Garcia joined the Corpus Christi law firm of Hartline, Dacus, Barger, Dreyer, and Kern as an associate attorney in 2004. In 2006, he was elected to the Texas House of Representatives, where he represented the 32nd District from 2007-2009, focusing on transparency in government and veterans issues.

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