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| Paul V. Harkins | |
|---|---|
| Name | Paul V. Harkins |
| Birth date | December 2, 1904 |
| Death date | February 10, 1984 |
| Birth place | New York City, New York |
| Death place | Washington, D.C. |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Serviceyears | 1926–1955 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands | United States Far East Command, United Nations Command (Korea), Eighth Army (United States) |
Paul V. Harkins was a United States Army four-star general who served as the first commanding general of the United States Far East Command and the first Commander-in-Chief, United Nations Command during the early period of the Korean War. He held senior positions across Fort Leavenworth, Pentagon, and Washington, D.C. and played a central role in post‑World War II United States Army planning, United Nations coalition coordination, and early Cold War strategy in the Asia–Pacific region.
Born in New York City, Harkins attended public schools before entering the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, where he graduated with the class of 1926 alongside classmates who later became prominent officers in World War II and the Cold War. He completed advanced professional military education at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth and the Army War College in Carlisle Barracks, preparing him for staff assignments with the War Department and interallied planning with Allied forces in the lead‑up to global conflict.
Harkins's early assignments included regimental and staff duties with units stationed at Fort Bragg, Fort Benning, and postings that involved training and administration linked to the Officer Candidate School system and ROTC programs at several universities. During the interwar decades he served in roles that connected him to doctrine development at the United States Army Infantry School and to strategic planning circles at the War Department General Staff, where interactions with figures from the Office of the Chief of Staff and the Army Service Forces shaped his approach to large‑scale mobilization.
During World War II, Harkins held staff positions that placed him in coordination with theater commanders in the European Theater of Operations and the China Burma India Theater, collaborating with officers from the United States Army Air Forces, the Royal Air Force, and the United States Navy. He worked on logistics and personnel policies that connected to operations at Shangri-La, Guadalcanal, and liaison efforts with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Combined Chiefs of Staff. His wartime service included interactions with leaders such as George C. Marshall, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Douglas MacArthur as the United States Army expanded into global deployments and postwar occupation responsibilities.
After World War II, Harkins served in senior posts that tied him to the establishment of NATO, coordination with Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, and to policy discussions in London and Paris regarding Atlantic security. He engaged with diplomatic and military figures including representatives from United Kingdom, France, Canada, Belgium, and Netherlands delegations to align United States plans with allied requirements. His assignments brought him into the orbit of Omar Bradley, Matthew Ridgway, and civilian leaders at the Department of Defense and the State Department as the transatlantic alliance adjusted to the emerging Soviet Union challenge.
Appointed as commander of the United States Far East Command and as the first Commander-in-Chief, United Nations Command during the outbreak of the Korean War, Harkins was charged with coordinating multinational forces from member states such as United Kingdom, Australia, Turkey, Philippines, and Canada. He worked closely with political authorities in Seoul, with representatives of the United Nations Security Council, and with theater commanders including General of the Army Douglas MacArthur and subordinate leaders of the Eighth Army (United States). His tenure encompassed complex interactions with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the United Nations Command, and the Republic of Korea government, amid strategic debates involving the People's Republic of China intervention and policy direction from Washington, D.C..
After retiring from active duty, Harkins remained engaged with veteran organizations and participated in discussions at institutions such as the Brookings Institution and the Council on Foreign Relations on subjects related to Asia policy and alliance management. His career intersected with the trajectories of leaders like Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, Charles de Gaulle, and later Richard Nixon as Cold War strategy evolved. Harkins's legacy is preserved through archives at military repositories and in histories of the Korean War, the United Nations Command, and the postwar United States Army transformation; his service is noted alongside contemporaries such as Mark W. Clark, Walter Bedell Smith, and Matthias S. Harkness in studies of mid‑20th century American military leadership.
Category:United States Army generals Category:United States Military Academy alumni Category:Korean War military personnel