Lieutenant General Richard P. Mills

Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Strategic Command

A native of Huntington, New York, Lieutenant General Mills was commissioned via Officer Candidate School. As a Lieutenant he served at the battalion level in two Marine Divisions as a rifle platoon commander, weapons platoon commander, rifle company executive officer, and adjutant. As a Captain he attended Amphibious Warfare School, served at Parris Island as a series officer and commanded a recruit company before joining the 6th Marines, 2d Marine Division, as the Commanding Officer of Alpha Company and Regimental Assistant Operations Officer.

As a Major, he was assigned to the Officer Assignment Branch, Headquarters Marine Corps, attended the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, was a Military Observer with the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization in Palestine, and served as the Air/Ground Liaison Officer, Marine Air Group 29, 2d Marine Aircraft Wing.

Lieutenant Colonel Mills served as Operations Officer, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) (MEU SOC) taking part in operations off Bosnia and Somalia, was assigned as the Amphibious Exercise/Operations Officer on the staff of the Commander, United States Sixth Fleet in Gaeta, Italy, and as Commanding Officer, 3d Battalion, 6th Marines (deploying as Battalion Landing Team 3/6, 24th MEU (SOC)).

While a Colonel, he studied at the Royal College of Defense Studies, London, England, was the Officer-In-Charge of the Special Operations Training Group, II MEF before commanding the 24th MEU (SOC). While under his command the 24th MEU (SOC) participated in Operations Joint Guardian in Kosovo, Enduring Freedom, and combat operations ashore in Iraq as part of Task Force Tarawa.

Next Colonel Mills went to Headquarters, United States European Command (EUCOM) in Stuttgart, Germany for duty as the Assistant Chief of Staff then, selected to Brigadier General, was the Deputy Director of Operations at EUCOM. Subsequently he was Director, Manpower Management Division at Headquarters Marine Corps before assuming command of the 1st Marine Division.

From 2007 to 2009 Brigadier General Mills served concurrently as Assistant Division Commander, 1st Marine Division and upon promotion to Major general as Commander, Ground Combat Element, Multi-National Forces - West, Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Upon returning from Iraq he again assumed command of the 1st Marine Division and then was selected to command the I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) which deployed to Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). In June 2010, he assumed command of the newly-created Regional Command (Southwest) and in October 2010 he relinquished command of the 1st Marine Division. In March 2011 he relinquished his duties as the Commander, Regional Command (Southwest). Lieutenant General Mills is the first Marine Corps General Officer to command NATO forces in combat. In July 2011 and upon promotion Lieutenant General Mills assumed the duties as the Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration.

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Source: Marine Corps Combat Development Command - 27 Jul 11