You might know Steve Bannon for being the White House Chief Strategist in the administration of US President Donald Trump during the first seven months of Trump’s term. But of course, Bannon had a life before serving in office for Trump; does this include being in the military?
Steve Bannon served for seven years in the naval forces in the late 1970s to 1980s, where he was a naval officer.
Read more below about Bannon’s time in the Navy, including his deployment to Iran during the hostage crisis of 1980 and his other careers in business and politics.
Bannon’s Seven Year Military Career
Bannon was an officer in the United States Navy for seven years in the late 1970s and early 1980s; he served on the destroyer USS Paul F. Foster as a surface warfare officer in the Pacific Fleet, and afterward, he served as a special assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations at the Pentagon. While at the Pentagon, Bannon attended Georgetown University at night and obtained his master’s degree in national security studies.
In 1980, Bannon was deployed to the Persian Gulf to assist with Operation Eagle Claw during the Iran hostage crisis. Bannon revealed of his experience on this mission:
“I wasn’t political until I got into the service and saw how badly Jimmy Carter f****d things up. I became a huge Reagan admirer. Still am. But what turned me against the whole establishment was coming back from running companies in Asia in 2008 and seeing that Bush had f****d up as badly as Carter. The whole country was a disaster.”
Life After The Military
Beyond the military, Bannon ventured into business and politics. We’ll take a look at this below.
Investment Banking
Following his military service, Bannon worked at Goldman Sachs as an investment banker in the Mergers and Acquisitions Department. After two years, he left this position with the title of vice president.
Earth Scientist
In 1993, Bannon became acting director of the earth science research project Biosphere 2 in Oracle, Arizona. When Bannon stepped in, the project had a shift in its focus from researching human space exploration and colonization toward the scientific study of the earth’s environment, pollution, and climate change. Bannon’s involvement in the project was short-lived as he left the project two years later in 1995.
Hollywood Star
In the 1990s, Bannon ventured into entertainment and media and became an executive producer in the Hollywood film and media industry. Bannon produced 18 films and became a partner with entertainment industry executive Jeff Kwatinetz at film and television management company The Firm, Inc.
In 2015, Bannon was ranked No. 19 on Mediaite’s list of the “25 Most Influential in Political News Media 2015.”
Political Career
Just a year later, in 2016, Bannon was appointed chief executive of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Following Donald Trump’s election to the presidency, Bannon was appointed chief strategist and senior counselor. After a public scandal, Bannon was removed from his position in 2017; his successor was Kellyanne Conway.
Bannon’s Political Views
A self-professed economic nationalist, Bannon advocates for reductions in immigration and restrictions on free trade with China and Mexico. He has been described as a white nationalist, but rejects the description; in an interview, he said, “I’m not a white nationalist, I’m a nationalist. I’m an economic nationalist.”
A Summary
To sum it all up, Bannon served in the military for seven years as a young adult. When he finished serving in the military, he decided to take another route and ventured down the business and politics route. As a man with many talents, Bannon succeeded in his business endeavors and has produced a total of 18 films and even served in office for Trump back in 2016.