Joseph Dunford

He was the 36th commandant of the Marine Corps.

Joseph Francis Dunford Jr. (born December 23, 1955) is a retired United States Marine Corps general who served as the 19th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 1, 2015 to September 30, 2019.

Dunford was born in Boston on December 23, 1955, and raised in Quincy, Massachusetts.

His father served as an enlisted Marine in the Korean War.

He is an Irish Catholic and Red Sox fan.

He graduated from Boston College High School in 1973, and from Saint Michael's College in June 1977.

He earned his commission the month of his college graduation.

He is a graduate of the United States Army War College, Ranger School, United States Army Airborne School, and the Amphibious Warfare School.

He holds a master of arts degree in government from Georgetown University and a second master of arts degree in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

In 1978, Dunford served in the 1st Marine Division as a platoon and company commander in 3rd Battalion 1st Marines and a company commander in 1st Battalion 9th Marines until 1981.

He served as the aide to the commanding general of III Marine Expeditionary Force, Stephen G. Olmstead, for a year, then transferred to the Officer Assignment Branch at Headquarters Marine Corps in Washington, D.C. He reported to the 2nd Marine Division in June 1985 and commanded L Company of 3rd Battalion 6th Marines.

In 1987, he was reassigned to 2nd Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company as the Operations, Plans, and Training Officer.

From 1988 to 1991, Dunford was assigned as the Marine Officer Instructor at the College of the Holy Cross and Officer Candidates School at Marine Corps Base Quantico.

In 1992, he was assigned to HQMC as a member of the Commandant's staff group and subsequently as the Senior Aide to the Commandant of the Marine Corps.

In 1995, he joined the 6th Marine Regiment as the executive officer, then went on to command 2nd Battalion 6th Marines from 1996 until 1998.

In 1999, Dunford was the Executive Assistant to the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (under both Generals Joseph Ralston and Richard Myers) and as Chief, Global and Multilateral Affairs Division (J-5) until 2001.

He next served in the 1st Marine Division where he was assigned to command the 5th Marine Regiment, then as the division's chief of staff and assistant commander.

During this time, he served 22 months in Iraq.

He has commanded several units, including the 5th Marine Regiment during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

During his command of RCT-5 in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, he earned the nickname "Fighting Joe" under James Mattis.

From 2005 to 2007, Dunford returned to Headquarters Marine Corps to serve as the Director of the Operations Division of the Plans, Policies and Operations staff, and eventually became the Vice Director for Operations (J-3) at the Joint Staff in 2008.

In December 2007, Dunford was nominated for promotion to the rank of major general.

Two months later, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced that President George W. Bush had nominated Dunford for promotion to lieutenant general and appointment as Deputy Commandant for Plans, Policies and Operations, to succeed Lieutenant General Richard F. Natonski.

In April 2008, his appointment to the permanent rank of major general was confirmed by the United States Senate, and he was simultaneously appointed to the grade of lieutenant general for his new assignment.

On May 1, 2009, the Pentagon announced that President Barack Obama had appointed Dunford to serve as the commanding general of I Marine Expeditionary Force and Marine Forces Central Command.

Less than a year into that assignment, Dunford was nominated by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to succeed James F. Amos as Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, who had been nominated to succeed James Conway as Commandant.

Dunford is the first Marine Corps officer to serve in four different four-star positions; the others include commander of the International Security Assistance Force and United States Forces – Afghanistan from February 2013 to August 2014, and as the thirty-second assistant commandant of the Marine Corps from October 23, 2010 to December 15, 2012.

President Obama approved his promotion and Dunford assumed the duties and new rank on October 23, 2010.

On October 10, 2012, Dunford was nominated by President Obama to lead U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Dunford assumed command of the International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A) from General John Allen on February 10, 2013.

On June 5, 2014, Dunford was nominated by President Obama to be the 36th Commandant of the Marine Corps.

His nomination was confirmed by the Senate on July 23, 2014, and he became Commandant on October 17, 2014.

On January 23, 2015, Dunford released the 36th Commandant's Planning Guidance.

During his tenure, Dunford worked to keep sex-based job assignment policies in place to keep women out of ground combat arms military occupational specialties.

On December 3, 2015, Dunford was overruled by Secretary of Defense Ash Carter who announced that beginning in January 2016, all military occupations and positions will be open to women, without exception.

President Barack Obama nominated Dunford to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on May 5, 2015.

He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and took over from Army General Martin Dempsey on September 25, 2015, and officially took office on October 1, 2015.

He served with General Paul Selva, USAF, former Commander of U.S. Transportation Command, as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Dunford and Selva served together as Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, from 2015 to 2019.

Dunford is the only Marine to have served as Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, Commandant of the Marine Corps, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.