Force flag officer was nominated to succeed him, the Senate declined to confirm the nominee, as it was customary to fill that post with a Navy flag officer. President Bush accordingly extended Fargo's mandatory retirement date. Fargo ultimately retired from military service in 2005, when the Senate confirmed Admiral William J. Fallon to succeed him as Commander of USPACOM. Admiral Fargo is a 1989 recipient of the Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale Award for Inspirational Leadership. His personal decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal (four awards), the Defense Superior Service Medal, and the Legion of Merit (three awards). In February 2005 he was appointed an honorary Officer of the Order of Australia "for distinguished naval service, particularly for strengthening the Australia-United States alliance whilst Commander United States Pacific Command". In 2010, the National Bureau of Asian Research appointed Fargo as the second holder of the Shalikashvili Chair in National Security Studies. In 2019, Fargo became the 22nd chairman of USAA. Awards and decorations The Hunt for Red October Admiral Fargo served as the inspiration for the character of Commander Bart Mancuso in the film The Hunt for Red October. Scott Glenn spent several days preparing for his role aboard the Salt Lake City. It was during this time that he decided to base his portrayal of his character on then-Commander Fargo. Fargo had told Glenn, "I've given orders to all the men on board to treat you as equal rank with me so every time for the next few days while we are out, when someone comes up and reports to me, they are going to turn around and report to you, and I'm going to tell you what we are going to do about it. There may be once or twice that I'm going to ask you to go to your quarters when we are dealing with stuff that is top secret." "Tom Fargo was a strong, tough commander, but he had a degree of relaxation and looseness that I never would have expected." – Scott Glenn. "He was incredibly confident...he was this guy you would follow into hell." – Alec Baldwin. Notes References External links Turning to the Pacific: U.S. Strategic Rebalancing toward Asia, coauthored by Thomas B. Fargo, Asia Policy (July 2012) The Military Foundations of U.S. Disaster Assistance in Japan , Interview with Admiral Thomas Fargo on military aid to Japan following the 2011 earthquake Gorton