By WILLIAM COLE | The Honolulu Star-Advertiser | Published: March 7, 2021 HONOLULU (Tribune News Service) — A fast-rising Navy admiral with Middle East experience and a background as an aircraft carrier fighter pilot has been nominated to take over U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor as some of the top Navy jobs in the region fall into place. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced that the president selected Vice Adm. Samuel J. Paparo Jr. for appointment to the grade of four-star admiral and to lead Pacific Fleet at a time when the Navy has a critical role in countering China in the western Pacific.