General James L. Jones
Former National Security Advisor to the President of the United States
Former Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Combatant
Commander USEUCOM
32nd Commandant of the Marine Corps
General James L. Jones has spent his life serving and protecting
America and American ideals. He is sought after for his wisdom,
guidance, and political endorsement. As the former commander of
U.S. European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe, he
led all military operations for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
and later, as National Security Advisor, he brought clear vision and steady leadership to
America's mission in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, and the country's interests around the world.
Jones graduated from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and was
commissioned into the Marine Corps in January 1967. He served in Vietnam, serving as rifle
platoon and company commander. On returning to the U.S., he pursued a career in the Marines,
attending the Amphibious Warfare School in 1973 and the National War College in 1985, and
serving as Marine Corps liaison officer to the U.S. Senate. He was also commanding officer of
the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit in Northern Iraq and Turkey on Operation Provide Comfort;
chief of staff, Joint Task Force Provide Promise, for operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina and
Macedonia; and commanding general, 2nd Marine Division, Marine Forces Atlantic. He also
served as Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense from 1997-99. He became the 32nd
commandant of the United States Marine Corps in July 1999.
During his NATO assignment from 2003-2006, he advocated energy security and the defense of
critical infrastructures as a core part of NATO's future missions. With the Chamber, Jones
worked to unite energy consumers and producers for a common goal - to increase the variety of
the U.S. energy supply and associated infrastructures, to advance international cooperation on
energy issues, to protect national energy security, and to promote better understanding of
changes to the global climate and its effects on the environment.
Upon retirement in February 2007, the combat veteran became the president and CEO of the
U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for 21st Century Energy and, in 2008, served as the State
Department's Special Envoy for Middle East Regional Security. From 2009 until 2010, he served
as President Obama's National Security Advisor at the White House.
Upon Jones' retirement President Obama said, "Jim has always been a steady voice in Situation
Room sessions, daily briefings and with meetings with foreign leaders...the American people
owe the general a debt for making the nation safer."
General Jones - sought-after by, and distinguished among, politicians of every stripe - offers a
vast wealth of knowledge and speaks with poise and authority about national and international
security, energy, and leadership requirements for success in the 21st century.
