James L. Jones

Infobox Military Person
name= James Logan Jones, Jr.
born= Birth date and age|1943|12|19
died=
placeofbirth= Kansas City, Missouri
placeofdeath=
placeofburial=


caption= 32nd Commandant of the Marine Corps (1999-2003)
caption= NATO SACEUR & COMUSEUCOM (2003-2006)
nickname=
allegiance= United States of America
branch= United States Marine Corps
serviceyears= 1967-2007
rank= General
commands=3rd Battalion 9th Marines 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit 2nd Marine Division Commandant of the Marine Corps Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
unit=
battles=Vietnam War Gulf War
awards= Defense Distinguished Service Medal (3) Silver Star Legion of Merit (5) Bronze Star French Légion d'honneur French Ordre national du Mérite Canadien Meritorious Service Cross NATO Meritorious Service Medal
laterwork=
General James Logan Jones, Jr. USMC (born December 19, 1943) is the former Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR) (2003-2006) and the Commander of the United States European Command (COMUSEUCOM) (2003-2006); and served as the 32nd Commandant of the Marine Corps (July 1999-January 2003). Jones retired from the United States Marine Corps on February 1, 2007 after 40 years of service. [https://138.156.230.184/gosa/biographies/rptPublicContactList.asp "Public Directory of: U.S. Marine Corps General Officers & Senior Executives"] (6 December, 2006), [https://www.manpower.usmc.mil/portal/page?_pageid=278,1937173&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL Senior Leader Management Branch (MMSL)] , Manpower & Reserve Affairs, United States Marine Corps. Retrieved on December 6, 2006. MS Word document.]

In 2007, Jones served as Chairman of the Congressional Independent Commission on the Security Forces of Iraq, which investigated the capabilities of the Iraqi police and armed forces. In November 2007, he was appointed by the United States Secretary of State as special envoy for Middle East Security.

He is currently the Chairman of the Atlantic Council of the United States.

Early life

Jones was born in Kansas City, Missouri. Having spent his formative years in France, he returned to the United States to attend the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, from which he received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1966. Jones, who is 6-foot, 4-inches, played forward on the Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team.cite news
accessdate=2008-08-16
url=http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB117729466180378622-EfRd3v5nBv3QBfi5cUh2mSLhH7U_20080422.html?mod=tff_main_tff_top
title=The Courting of General Jones — Candidates From Both Parties Woo Policy-Savvy Ex-Marine
author=King, Jr., Neil
date=April 23, 2007
work=Wall Street Journal]

In January 1967, Jones was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Military career

Early career

Upon completion of The Basic School at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia in October 1967, he was ordered to the Republic of Vietnam, where he served as a platoon and company commander with Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines. While overseas, he was promoted to First Lieutenant in June 1968. For a complete account of Jones' Vietnam experience see "Boys of '67: From Vietnam to Iraq, The Extraordinary Story of a Few Good Men," written by Jones' first cousin, Charles Jones, and published by Stackpole Books in 2006.

Returning to the United States in December 1968, Jones was assigned to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, where he served as a company commander until May 1970. He then received orders to Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C., for duties as a company commander, serving in this assignment until July 1973. He was promoted to Captain in December 1970. From July 1973 until June 1974, he was a student at the Amphibious Warfare School, MCB Quantico, Virginia.

In November 1974, he received orders to report to the 3rd Marine Division in Okinawa, Japan where he served as the company commander of Company H, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, until December 1975.

From January 1976 to August 1979, Jones served in the Officer Assignments Section at Headquarters Marine Corps, Washington, D.C.. During this assignment, he was promoted to Major in July 1977. Remaining in Washington, his next assignment was as the Marine Corps Liaison Officer to the United States Senate, where he served until July 1984. As Liaison Officer, his first boss was John McCain, then a United States Navy captain.He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in September 1982

enior staff and command

He was selected to attend the National War College in Washington, D.C.. Following graduation in June 1985, he was assigned to command the 3rd Battalion 9th Marines,1st Marine Division, at Camp Pendleton, California, from July 1985 to July 1987.

In August 1987, Jones returned to Headquarters Marine Corps, where he served as Senior Aide to the Commandant of the Marine Corps. He was promoted to Colonel in April 1988, and became the Military Secretary to the Commandant in February 1989. During August 1990, Jones was assigned as the commanding officer of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (24th MEU) at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. During his tour with the 24th MEU, he participated in Operation Provide Comfort in Northern Iraq and Turkey. He was advanced to Brigadier General on April 23, 1992. General Jones was assigned to duties as Deputy Director, J-3, United States European Command, Stuttgart, Germany, on July 15, 1992. During this tour of duty, he was reassigned as Chief of Staff, Joint Task Force Provide Promise, for operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Republic of Macedonia.

Returning to the United States, he was advanced to the rank of Major General in July 1994, and was assigned as Commanding General, 2nd Marine Division, Marine Forces Atlantic, MCB Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. General Jones next served as Director, Expeditionary Warfare Division (N85), Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, during 1996, then as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans, Policies and Operations, Headquarters Marine Corps, Washington, D.C.. He was advanced to Lieutenant General on July 18, 1996. His next assignment was as the Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense.

Commandant

On April 21, 1999, he was nominated for appointment to the grade of General and assignment as the 32nd Commandant of the Marine Corps. He was promoted to General on June 30, 1999, and assumed the post on July 1, 1999. He served as Commandant until January 2003.

Among other innovations during his career as Marine Corps Commandant, General Jones oversaw the Marine Corps's development of MARPAT camouflage uniforms, and the adoption of the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. These replaced the woodland uniforms, and the LINE combat system, respectively.

ACEUR/EUCOM

General Jones assumed duties as the Commander of U.S. European Command on January 16, 2003 and Supreme Allied Commander Europe on January 17, 2003. He is the first Marine Corps general to serve as SACEUR/EUCOM commander.

The Marine Corps had only recently begun to take on a larger share of high-level assignments in the Department of Defense. General Jones was one of five serving Marine Corps four-star general officers who outranked the current Commandant of the Marine Corps (General James T. Conway) in terms of seniority and time-in-grade — the others being Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Peter Pace; former Commandant Michael Hagee, Commander of U.S. Strategic Command James E. Cartwright, and Assistant Commandant Robert Magnus.

As SACEUR, Jones led the Allied Command Operations (ACO), comprising NATO’s military forces in Europe, from the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, Mons, Belgium, General Jones relinquished command as SACEUR on December 7, 2006, and was succeeded by United States Army General John Craddock.cite web
url=http://www.nato.int/shape/news/2006/12/061204a.htm
title=General JOHN CRADDOCK will be the new Commander
date=4 December, 2006
work=SHAPE News
publisher=Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), NATO
accessdate=2006-12-06]

General Jones was reported to have declined an opportunity to succeed General John P. Abizaid as Commander of U.S. Central Command, and stepped down as SACEUR on December 4, 2006 and retired from the U.S. Marine Corps on February 1, 2007.

Decorations

U.S. decorations

General Jones' personal decorations include:

Foreign decorations

In January 2007, Jones was awarded Canada's Meritorious Service Cross by Governor General Michaëlle Jean. [ [http://www.gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocID=4961 Office of the Governor General of Canada, Press Release, February 6, 2007 - "Governor General announces the awarding of Military Valour Decorations, Meritorious Service Decorations and a Mention in Dispatches"] ]

Decorations include but not limited to:
*French Légion d'honneur
*French Ordre national du Mérite
*Canadian Meritorious Service Cross (Military Division); Post-nominal: M.S.C. [ [http://www.gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocID=4961 Governor General announces the awarding of Military Valour Decorations, Meritorious Service Decorations and a Mention in Dispatches ] ]
*Estonian Order of the Cross of the Eagle, Class 1 (Estonian: "Kotkaristi I Klassi Teenetemärk") [http://www.ekspress.ee/viewdoc/0997893706CC409EC225727B0031F1D8]
*Vietnam Gallantry Cross Regiment Citation with Bronze Star
*Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas, Grand Cross of Commander [ [http://adamkus.president.lt/ordinai/table_e.phtml?sort=surname,7300,0 President of the Republic of Lithuania. State Decorations ] ]
*Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with Palm
*Portuguese Ancient Military Order of Aviz, Grand Cross [ [http://www.ordens.presidencia.pt/galeria_condecoracoes.htm]
*Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation with Palm
*NATO Meritorious Service Medal
*Vietnam Campaign Medal with 1960 date bar
*Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)
*Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)

Post-military career

Business roles

Following his retirement from the military, General Jones became president of the Institute for 21st Century Energy [http://www.energyxxi.org/xxi/default] , an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce [ [http://www.energyxxi.org/ Institute for 21st Century Energy - Official site] ] and chair of the board of directors of the Atlantic Council of the United States. [ [http://www.acus.org/docs/Press%20Release/070518-JONES%20ELECTED%20ATLANTIC%20COUNCIL%20CHAIRMAN.pdf Atlantic Council of the United States, Press Release, May 18, 2007, General James L. Jones USMC (ret.) Elected Chairman of The Atlantic Council Board of Directors] ] He also served as chair of the Independent Commission on Security Forces of Iraq, sponsored by the Atlantic Council of the United States. [ [http://www.acus.org/Gen_James_L_Jones_Atlantic_Council_09-12-2007_page2.asp Remarks by General (ret.) James L. Jones at the Atlantic Council of the United Sates, Wednesday, September 12, 2007] ]

General Jones joined the Board of Directors of the Boeing Corporation on June 21, 2007. He serves on the company's Audit and Finance Committees. [ [http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/12927/000119312508057498/ddef14a.htm#toc96257_23 Definitive Notice and Proxy Statement ] ]

On May 28, 2008, General Jones was elected to the board of directors of Chevron Corporation. cite news|accessdate=2008-03-29
url=http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2008/03/24/daily29.html
title=Former USMC Commandant Jones nominated to Chevron board
work=San Francisco Business Times
author=Brown, Steven E.F.
date=March 26, 2008
publisher=Biz Journals] cite web|accessdate=2008-08-24
url=http://www.chevron.com/about/leadership/boardofdirectors/jones/
title=Board of Directors: General James L. Jones
publisher=Chevron
date=July 2008]

Diplomatic roles

Jones was asked twice by Condoleezza Rice to be Deputy Secretary of State after the resignation of Robert Zoelick. He declined.cite web|accessdate=2008-05-11
url=http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2006/11/21/potential-deputies-to-rice-no-thanks/
date= November 21, 2006
title=Potential Deputies to Rice: No Thanks
work=Wall Street Journal]

On May 25, 2007, Congress created an Independent Commission on the Security Forces of Iraq to investigate for 120 days the capabilities of the Iraq armed forces and police. [P.L. 110-28 § 1314(e)(2).] General Jones served as Chairman of that Commission and reported on Congress on September 6, 2007 [http://www.c-span.org/pdf/jonesreport090607.pdf Retrieved 2007-09-20.] noting serious deficiencies in the Iraq Interior Ministry and in the Iraq National Police.

On November 28, 2007, the Secretary of State appointed Jones as a special envoy for Middle East Security. He works with Israelis and Palestinians to strengthen security for both sides.cite web|accessdate=2007-11-29
url= http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2007/11/95838.htm
title=Announcement of General James Jones as Special Envoy for Middle East Security
author=Secretary Condoleezza Rice
publisher=U.S. Department of State
location=Washington, DC
date=November 28, 2007] cite web|accessdate=2008-05-11
url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=ae2RGIfF0kB8&refer=home
title=Former NATO Commander Jones Named U.S. Mideast Envoy
date=November 28, 2008
author=Zacharia, Janine
publisher=Bloomberg.com]

Political speculation

In June 2008, MSNBC's "First Read" reported that General Jones was among those being discussed with Senators and Representatives by the vetting team of Senator Barack Obama as a possible Vice Presidential candidate.cite web|accessdate=
url=http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/06/10/1127710.aspx?p=1
title=Keeping Up With The Joneses...
work=MSNBC First Read
publisher=MSNBC
date=June 10, 2008
author=Murray, Mark ] Gen. Jones recently appeared with McCain, who he stated his support for, effectively quashing rumors of an Obama-Jones ticket. [ [http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/0608/Popping_the_James_Jones_balloon.html Jonathan Martin's Blog: Popping the James Jones balloon - Politico.com ] ]

ee also

Notes

ee also

References

* [http://www.usmc.mil/genbios2.nsf/biographies/2D8A3578C1C9460B85256808004AFBB6?opendocument Official Biography for James L. Jones] , "General Officer Biographies", United States Marine Corps. Accessed on 2006-07-11.
* [http://www.nato.int/shape/bios/saceur/jones.htm SACEUR General James L. Jones] , "SHAPE Biographies", Allied Command Operations, NATO. Accessed on 2006-07-11.

*cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/08/AR2006110802084.html
title=The Defense Secretary We Had, Tough — and Unaccountable
author=David Ignatius
date=November 9, 2006
work=Washington Post
accessdate=2006-11-18 (Jones withdraws from consideration for CENTCOM)

External links

*cite web|url=http://www.nato.int/shape/bios/saceur/mission_saceur.htm
title=Mission of SACEUR
work=SHAPE Information
publisher=NATO
accessdate=2006-12-08