Patrick J. Hannifin

Patrick J. Hannifin is a United States Navy vice admiral who commands the United States Seventh Fleet.

A native of San Diego, California, Hannifin was commissioned in 1991 after earning degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of San Diego. Designated a naval aviator, he piloted McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornets, commanded Strike Fighter Squadron 81 (VFA-81), and served as commanding officer of the amphibious transport dock . From September 2018 to October 2020, he was commanding officer of the aircraft carrier , homeported in Japan.

As a flag officer, he served as deputy director for political-military affairs—Asia, J-5, for the Joint Staff in Washington, D.C., then returned to Japan to embark on USS Ronald Reagan as commander of Carrier Strike Group 5. From April 2024, he served as director for operations at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

His grandfather, also named Patrick J. Hannifin, was a U.S. Navy vice admiral who retired in 1978 after serving as director of the Joint Staff.