Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, center, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Army Maj. Gen. Gregg F. Martin, president, National Defense University, right; and Ambassador Nancy McEldowney, senior vice president of the National Defense University, during Martin’s assumption of command ceremony at Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., July 11, 2012. DOD photo by Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr. Army Major General Gregg Martin assumed command of the National Defense University during a ceremony at the school’s campus at Fort McNair on Wednesday. Martin becomes the university’s 14th president.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Martin Dempsey praised Martin during the ceremony.
“There’s one thing on which we all can agree, and that is that education is the strongest and most secure bridge to the future,” Dempsey said. “We’re going to need just such a bridge as that to work our way through some of the challenging transitions that we face.”
Dempsey thanked Ambassador Nancy McEldowney, senior vice president of NDU, for her service as the university’s acting president for nearly three months.
“I know how tough being an ‘acting’ anything can be,” he said. “You get twice the work, you get none of the credit and you get all of the blame if something goes wrong in between.”
Martin came from the U.S. Army War College where he served as commandant.
Bio:
Major General Gregg F. Martin is the 48th Commandant of the United States Army War College. Prior to his arrival at Carlisle, MG Martin served in Kuwait as the Deputy Commanding General of Third Army and US Army Central during the simultaneous buildup in Afghanistan and responsible drawdown from Iraq. Before that, he served as Commanding General of the U.S. Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood, MO.
Born in Massachusetts, MG Martin graduated from the U.S. Military Academy with a bachelor’s degree and was commissioned in 1979 into the Army Corps of Engineers. He subsequently earned master’s degrees in civil engineering and technology policy, as well as a Ph.D. in engineering management and public policy from MIT, with a dissertation on strategic leadership and organizational change. He is a graduate of the Naval and Army War Colleges, and holds master’s degrees in strategic studies from both.
Critical command and troop leadership positions include:
Commandant of the US Army Engineer School and Regiment and Deputy Commanding General of the US Army Maneuver Support Center and Fort Leonard
Wood; Commanding General and Division Engineer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Northwestern Division in Portland, OR (during which time he was also a Presidential appointee, confirmed by the Senate, to the Mississippi River Commission); and command of the 130th Engineer Brigade and service as the V Corps / CJTF-7 Engineer in Europe and the Middle East from June 2002 to July 2004, which included the ground assault to Baghdad, liberation of Iraq, and leading an expanded brigade of 13,000 soldiers conducting full-spectrum operations across Iraq in the first year of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Other commands include the 5th Engineer Battalion at Fort Leonard Wood, MO (providing direct support to the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment), and B Company, 79th Engineer Battalion in Karlsruhe, Germany. As a lieutenant, he was a Platoon Leader and Company Executive Officer with the 94th Engineer Battalion in Darmstadt, Germany.
MG Martin’s staff positions include: Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff (Operations and Plans) for U.S. Army Europe and 7th Army in Heidelberg, Germany; Task Force Engineer with Joint Task Force Bravo in Honduras; I Corps Engineer Operations Officer; Operations Officer and Executive Officer of the 864th Engineer Battalion at Fort Lewis, WA; and Project Engineer in the Corps of Engineers’ Europe Division in Karlsruhe, Germany.
MG Martin’s leader development and education positions include: Instructor and Director of Senior Command and Leadership at the Army War College; Instructor and Assistant Professor of National Security Studies, International Relations and American Politics in the Department of Social Sciences, as well as Recruiting and Admissions Officer at the US Military Academy at West Point, NY.
MG Martin’s awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit (3 Awards), the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (8 Awards), the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal (2 Awards), the Army Achievement Medal, Parachutist Badge, Ranger Tab, and Combat Action Badge. He was chosen by Engineering News Record for the 2003 “Award of Excellence” as the engineering profession’s Person of the Year for his leadership role in Operation Iraqi Freedom, a testament to our magnificent Soldiers.
MG Martin is married to Maggie, the former Margaret Ryan; the Martins have three sons, all Eagle Scouts, two of whom are active duty Soldiers, and one who is a college student.
