Martin Dempsey

Martin Dempsey
Birth name	Martin E. Dempsey
Born	(1952-03-14) March 14, 1952 Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1974–present
Rank	General
Commands held	Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Chief of Staff U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment 1st Armored Division
Battles/wars	Gulf War Iraq War
Awards	Defense Distinguished Service Medal (2) Army Distinguished Service Medal (4) Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit (3) Bronze Star (2) with Valor

General Martin E. Dempsey, USA (born March 14, 1952) is the 18th and current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He previously served 149 days as the 37th Chief of Staff of the Army from April 11, 2011, to September 7, 2011. Prior to that, he served as Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, from December 8, 2008, to April 11, 2011, as Acting Commander, U.S. Central Command, from March 24, 2008, to October 30, 2008, as Deputy Commander, U.S. Central Command, from August 2007 to March 23, 2008, and as Commanding General, Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq (MNSTC-I), from August 2005 to August 2007. As the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dempsey is currently the highest-ranking military officer in all of the United States Armed Forces. Dempsey assumed his current assignment on October 1, 2011.

Biography

Dempsey attended John S. Burke Catholic High School in Goshen, New York, and views himself as Irish American. He has a Master's degree in literature from Duke University, where he wrote a thesis on the Irish poet W B Yeats. Dempsey's family are from the Gaeltacht region of Ranafast in Donegal, where he learned to speak Gaelic while spending his summers there as a youth.

He received a commission as an Armor officer upon graduation from the United States Military Academy in 1974. As a company-grade officer, he served in 1st Squadron, 2d Armored Cavalry Regiment as the S-1 OIC. He went on to be the Executive Officer of the 3rd Brigade 3rd Armored Division during Operation Desert Shield/Storm. He then commanded the 4th Battalion of the 67th Armored Regiment "Bandits" from 1992–1995 in the 1st Armored Division in Friedberg, Hesse, Germany.

In June 2003, then Brigadier General Dempsey assumed command of 1st Armored Division. He succeeded Ricardo S. Sanchez who was promoted to command V Corps. Dempsey's command of the 1st Armored Division lasted until July 2005 and included 13 months in Iraq, from June 2003 to July 2004. While in Iraq, 1st Armored Division, in addition to its own brigades, had operational command over the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment and a brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division; the command, called "Task Force Iron" in recognition of the Division's nickname, "Old Ironsides", was the largest division-level command in the history of the United States Army.

It was during this time that the U.S. intervention in Iraq changed dramatically as Fallujah fell to Sunni extremists and supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr built their strength and rose up against American forces. Then Major General Dempsey and his command assumed responsibility for the Area of Operations in Baghdad as the insurgency incubated, grew, and exploded. General Dempsey has been described by Thomas Ricks in his book "Fiasco": "In the capital itself, the 1st Armored Division, after Sanchez assumed control of V Corps, was led by Gen. Martin Dempsey, was generally seen as handling a difficult (and inherited) job well, under the global spotlight of Baghdad."

On March 27, 2007, Dempsey was promoted from commander of Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq, to be reappointed as a lieutenant general and assigned as deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.

On February 5, 2008, Dempsey was nominated to head the Seventh United States Army/U.S. Army, Europe, and was nominated for promotion to four-star general upon Senate approval.

On March 11, 2008, Dempsey's commander, Admiral William J. Fallon, retired from active service. U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates accepted this as effective on March 31. Dempsey took over command as acting commander CENTCOM.

On March 13, 2008, Dempsey was confirmed by the United States Senate as Commander, Seventh United States Army/U.S. Army, Europe.

On December 8, 2008, Dempsey took command of United States Army Training and Doctrine Command.

General(****) Martin Dempsey with Lt. General Benny Gantz, Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces at the Yad VaShem Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem - Israel where he paid respect to the memory of Holocaust victims (January 20, 2012).

On January 6, 2011, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced that he would nominate General Dempsey to succeed General George Casey as the Army Chief of Staff.

On February 8, 2011, Gates announced that President Barack Obama nominated Dempsey to be the 37th Chief of Staff of the United States Army.

On March 3, 2011, Dempsey testified before the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services for reappointment to the grade of general and to be the 37th Chief of Staff of the United States Army.

On March 15, 2011, the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services affirmatively reported Dempsey's nomination to serve as the 37th Chief of Staff of the United States Army to the floor of the Senate. On March 16, 2011, the Senate confirmed Dempsey's nomination by unanimous consent.

On April 11, 2011, Dempsey was sworn in as 37th Chief of Staff of the United States Army at a ceremony at Fort Myer.

With Admiral Mike Mullen set to retire as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in September 2011, President Obama needed to select his replacement. The Vice-Chairman, Marine General James Cartwright, who was initially believed to be the front runner for the job, had fallen out of favor among senior officials in the Defense Department. Obama administration officials revealed on May 26, 2011, that the President would nominate Dempsey to the post of Chairman. In August 2011 General Dempsey was confirmed by unanimous consent to succeed Admiral Mike Mullen as the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

He was sworn in as 18th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on October 1, 2011, succeeding Admiral Michael Mullen.

Education

• 1974 Bachelor of Science degree, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY
• 1984 Master of Arts degree in English, Duke University, Durham, NC
• 1988 Master of Military Art and Science degree, United States Army Command and General Staff College
• 1995 Master of Science degree in national security and strategic studies, National War College

Dates of rank

United States Military Academy Cadet – Class of 1974

Rank	Date
Second Lieutenant	Jun 5, 1974
First Lieutenant	Jun 5, 1976
Captain	Aug 8, 1978
Major	Sep 1, 1985
Lieutenant Colonel	Apr 1, 1991
Colonel	Sep 1, 1995
Brigadier General	Aug 1, 2001
Major General	Sep 1, 2004
Lieutenant General	Sep 8, 2005
General	Dec 8, 2008

Awards, decorations, and badges

U.S. military decorations Defense Distinguished Service Medal (with oak leaf cluster) Army Distinguished Service Medal (with 3 oak leaf clusters) Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit (with 2 oak leaf clusters) Bronze Star (with Valor device & oak leaf cluster) Meritorious Service Medal (with 2 oak leaf clusters) Joint Service Commendation Medal Army Commendation Medal Army Achievement Medal (with oak leaf cluster) U.S. Unit Awards Joint Meritorious Unit Award (with oak leaf cluster) Valorous Unit Award (with oak leaf cluster) Army Superior Unit Award (with oak leaf cluster) U.S. Service (Campaign) Medals and Service and Training Ribbons National Defense Service Medal (with 2 service stars) Southwest Asia Service Medal (with 3 service stars) Iraq Campaign Medal Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Army Service Ribbon Army Overseas Service Ribbon (with award numeral "4") Foreign awards NATO Medal for service with ISAF Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia) Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)

Other accoutrements Combat Action Badge Basic Parachutist Badge Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge Army Staff Identification Badge 1st Armored Division Combat Service Identification Badge 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia 7 Overseas Service Bars (reflecting 3½ years of overseas service in combat zones)

On December 7, 2011, General Dempsey received the USO's Distinguished Service Award on behalf of all military members.

Publications

1. Win, Learn, Focus, Adapt, Win Again – Article series for Army Magazine (AUSA). Oct. 2010 – Feb. 2011
2. Inspired and humbled by the sacrifice of our troops - The Hill, May 24, 2011
3. From the Chairman – Joint Force Quarterly no. 64. Jan. 2012
4. From the Chairman – Joint Force Quarterly no. 65. Apr. 2012
5. Preserving the bonds of trust - The Hill, May 22, 2012
6. From the Chairman – Joint Force Quarterly no. 66. Jul. 2012
7. From the Chairman: Building Tomorrow's Leaders - Joint Force Quarterly no. 67. Oct. 2012
8. From the Chairman: Sustaining our Edge - Joint Force Quarterly no. 68. Jan. 2013

Interviews

1. Dempsey Muses on Challenges as New Head of Joint Chiefs – Thom Shanker. New York Times. Oct 3, 2011.
2. The New Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on "Getting to the Truth" – Karl Moore. Forbes Magazine. Oct 20, 2011.
3. Gen. Martin Dempsey's Interview with Jeremy Paxman – Jeremy Paxman, BBC. Nov 28, 2011.
4. Transcript: Gen. Martin Dempsey's Interview with Fareed Zakaria – Fareed Zakaria. CNN. Feb 19, 2012.
5. Video: Gen. Martin Dempsey's Interview with Charlie Rose – Charlie Rose. Mar 16, 2012.
6. Video: Gen. Martin Dempsey's Interview on Leadership - The Pentagon Channel. Oct. 2012.
7. Video: Gen. Martin Dempsey at the National Press Club - National Press Club. Oct. 10, 2012.
8. Transcript: Gen. Martin Dempsey talks to Dan Rather - Dan Rather Reports. AXS.tv. Nov. 13, 2012.
9. Transcript: Gen. Martin Dempsey talks to Ted Koppel - Rock Center with Brian Williams. NBC. Jan. 24, 2013.
10. Transcript: Sec. Panetta & Gen. Dempsey’s Interview with Candy Crowley - State of the Union. CNN. Feb. 3, 2013.
11. Transcript: Sec. Panetta & Gen. Dempsey’s Interview with Chuck Todd - Meet the Press. NBC. Feb. 3, 2013.
12. Transcript: Gen. Martin Dempsey talks to Rachel Martin - Weekend Edition. NPR. Feb. 17, 2013.

Speeches

1. Gen. Dempsey Becomes the 18th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff – Sep 30, 2011
2. The Atlantic Council of the United States: Security and Partnership in an Age of Austerity – Dec 9, 2011.
3. End of Mission Ceremony in Baghdad, Iraq – Dec 15, 2011.
4. Duke University's Ambassador S. Davis Phillips Family International Lecture Series: A New Vision for the US Military – Jan 12, 2012.
5. West Point Class of 2013 500th Night – Jan 21, 2012.
6. Harvard University's John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum: Security Paradox – Apr 12, 2012.
7. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: A Conversation with General Martin Dempsey – May 1, 2012.
8. Kansas State University's 161st Landon Lecture - Oct. 1, 2012

External links

• Military Biography
• Chairman's Corner
• GEN Martin E. Dempsey on Facebook
• GEN Martin Dempsey on Twitter
• Gen. Martin Dempsey collected news and commentary at The Washington Post
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Martin Dempsey at the Internet Movie Database
• Works by or about Martin Dempsey in libraries (WorldCat catalog)

Military offices
Preceded by William Fallon	Commander of United States Central Command Acting 2008	Succeeded by David Petraeus
Preceded by William Wallace	Commanding General of the Army Training and Doctrine Command 2008–2011	Succeeded by John Sterling Acting
Preceded by George Casey	Chief of Staff of the Army 2011	Succeeded by Raymond Odierno
Preceded by Michael Mullen	Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 2011–present	Incumbent