When Adm. William J. Fallon became the commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific and Asia a year ago, a murmur rippled through the ranks of his new command and out to Asian capitals: "What does he know about Asia?"

Skeptics noted that the admiral's exposure to Asia had been limited to flying in jet fighters over Vietnam as a junior officer, plus a few visits to Asian ports aboard aircraft carriers. The greater part of his career had been spent in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Persian Gulf and in Washington, D.C.

In conversations while flying across the Pacific recently, Fallon explained how he had gotten up to speed on Asia. That included inquiries before he came to his new headquarters in Hawai'i, an intensive round of briefings after he took command, and extensive travel since he has been on watch.

A favorite Fallon phrase: "Sponging up information."

Fallon began his current education on Asia shortly after becoming vice chief of naval operations in Washington in October 2000. In February 2001, the U.S. submarine Greeneville accidentally sank the Japanese fisheries training ship Ehime Maru off O'ahu. Fallon was assigned the delicate task of apologizing to Japan for the death of nine Japanese aboard Ehime Maru.

"I did the fastest study on Japan you've ever seen," he said. Among his tutors were Japanese in Washington, Americans who had lived in Japan, and Adm. Thomas B. Fargo, then head of Pacific Command.

Almost immediately, Fallon ran into cultural differences. In America, to apologize is to admit guilt or wrongdoing, which has legal consequences; in Japan, to apologize is to express remorse that something unfortunate has happened, but without legal implications.

After being assured that an apology in Japan would not interfere with U.S. legal proceedings, Fallon said in Tokyo: "I'm here today to humbly and sincerely request, on behalf of the government of the United States, the United States Navy and the American people, that the government and people of Japan accept our sincere apology for the tragic loss of the Ehime Maru on February 9."

While serving as vice chief, Fallon said, he recognized that China would be the biggest challenge confronting the U.S. in Asia in coming years. He assembled specialists who tutored him once a week on Chinese leaders, history and geography, starting with the basics. "I wanted to know why," he said, pointing to the capital of China, "the spelling of Peking had become Beijing."

By that time, India and Pakistan had acquired nuclear weapons, which warranted close attention by senior U.S. officers. Fallon said he "sponged up everything I could" on the nuclear ambitions of New Delhi and Islamabad from the Rand Corp., the nonprofit research organization in California.

Once in command, Fallon launched a round of briefings in which he questioned subordinates on everything they were doing in Asia, and why. And, said staff officers, woe to the officer who failed to be succinct and to the point.

Those who delivered well-articulated briefings, however, were treated to another favorite Fallon phrase: "I've got it," accompanied by a short downward chop of the open hand. Further, Fallon pulled together "the 10 smartest guys I could find" to teach him about Asia. "The No. 1 purpose of that exercise," he said, "was to make sure I didn't miss anything really important."

Much has come from travel. Fallon has been to 17 of the 25 Asian nations in Pacific Command's area of responsibility, which runs from the west coast of the U.S. to the east coast of Africa. On a recent trip to Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, with a quick stop in the Philippines, Fallon covered nearly 20,000 miles in nine days. During that time, he did more listening than talking.

He met with the heads of state in Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, and Bandar Seri Begawan, their ministers of defense and top military officers to ask what they needed to fight the war on terror. He invited civic leaders to give him their views and often heard candid comments on how the U.S. could improve its posture in Southeast Asia.

Perhaps most instructive, Fallon flew to the far corners of Indonesia and Malaysia to see for himself how local military commanders and law-enforcement officers sought to stop pirates from operating in the Strait of Malacca and terrorists from circulating through the Celebes Sea.

"I'm here scouting out the lay of the land," he said in Malaysia, but that could apply to every stop along the way.

Richard Halloran is a Honolulu-based journalist and former New York Times correspondent in Asia.