Who Is He?
General James Logan Jones, Jr., USMC (Ret.) was born December 19, 1943, in Kansas City, Missouri. He is a graduate of Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. General Jones dedicated 40 years to the Marine Corps and served in Vietnam, the Persian Gulf and the Balkans.
His numerous military awards and medals including the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Honor, Defense Distinguished Service Medal. Jones and his wife Diane have four children and eight grandchildren.
Military Career Highlights
- 1967: Began military career as a Marine in 1967. Sent to Vietnam.
- 1968: Returned to the US as a company commander at Camp Pendleton in California.
- 1979-1984: US Marine Corps Liaison to the United States Senate. (Navy Captain John McCain was his commander.)
- 1985 - 1987: Commanded the 3rd Battalion 9th Marines, 1st Marine Division, at Camp Pendleton, California
- 1990: Assigned as the commanding officer of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Participated in Operation Provide Comfort in Northern Iraq and Turkey.
- 1992: Assigned as Deputy Director, J-3, United States European Command, Stuttgart, Germany. Reassigned as Chief of Staff, Joint Task Force Provide Promise, for operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia.
- 1994: Assigned as Commanding General, 2nd Marine Division, Marine Forces Atlantic, MCB Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
- 1996: Served as the Director of the Expeditionary Warfare Division (N85) in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, then as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans, Policies and Operations at Headquarters Marine Corps, Washington, D.C. Promoted to Lieutenant General. Assigned as Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense
- 1999: Named Commandant of the Marine Corps.
- 2003: Appointed Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR)
- 2007: Retired from active duty military service.
After the Military
Upon retirement, Jones became president of the Institute for 21st Century Energy and was chairman of the board of directors of the Atlantic Council of the United States from June 2007 to January 2009. He also served on the boards of Boeing and Chevron. Jones became National Security Advisor in January 2009.
Non-Partisan Philosophy
In addition to serving as National Security Advisor in the Obama Administration, General Jones also served in the Bush Administration. In November 2007, he was appointed as the State Department's Special Envoy for Middle East Regional Security.
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is purported to have asked Jones to serve as Deputy Secretary of State twice. Jones is generally viewed as non-partisan and centrist in his political philosophy. Former SACEUR and Democratic presidential candidate, General Wesley Clark, USA (Ret.) said,"He [Jones] provides a nonpartisan standard for the national interest - that would be the presumption given his previous experience."
National Security Advisor
The role of the National Security Advisor is to advise the President on matters related to national security and foreign policy, and to coordinate White House policy among various government agencies such as the Departments of State and Defense. The White House National Security Council staff reports to Jones.
Jones has taken on additional responsibility as National Security Advisor in the Obama Administration. The previously independent White House Office of Homeland Security now reports to Jones. The newly created White House Cybersecurity Coordinator or Czar reports to both Jones and National Economic Council Chairman Larry Summers.
As National Security Advisor, the General enjoys full access to the President and is present for the President's Daily Brief prepared by the Director of National Intelligence.
He is often characterized as an "honest broker" in the style of President George H.W. Bush's National Security Advisor, Brent Scowcroft, and less of a White House policymaker like Zbigniew Brzezinski (Carter Administration) or Condoleezza Rice (George W. Bush) or a gatekeeper like Sandy Berger (Clinton).
Fun Facts
- Standing 6'5", General Jones played basketball for the Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team. (A desired quality in the Obama White House!)
- Although born in the United States, Jones spent much of his childhood in France.