Lieutenant General JOHN L. DOLAN

Lt. Gen. John L. Dolan is the Director for Operations (DJ-3), Joint Staff, Arlington, Va. He assists the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in fulfilling his responsibilities as the principal military advisor to the President and Secretary of Defense. The General develops and provides strategic guidance to the combatant commands and relays communications between the President and the Secretary of Defense to the combatant commanders regarding current operations and plans.

General Dolan received his commission in 1986 through the University of Northern Colorado’s ROTC program. He has held various squadron, wing, headquarters, and combatant command level positions in multiple overseas and deployed assignments. His staff duties included serving on Capitol Hill and directly for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretary of the Air Force. His previous commands include the U.S. Air Force F-16 Weapons School, 8th Fighter Wing, 451st Air Expeditionary Wing, Kandahar Air Base (NATO), 5th Air Force and U.S Forces Japan.

General Dolan is a command pilot with more than 4,000 flying hours, including more than 200 combat missions during Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, and Northern Watch.

EDUCATION
1986 Bachelors of Science, Chemistry, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley  
1993 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1996 Masters of Aeronautical Science and Technology, Embry Riddle University, Fla.
2001 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2006 National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2014 Joint Force Air Component Commander Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2016 Leadership at the Peak, Center for Creative Leadership, Colorado Springs, Colo.

ASSIGNMENTS
1. October 1986 - August 1987, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Reese AFB, Texas
2. September 1987 - September 1988, Student, F-16 Replacement Training Unit, MacDill AFB, Fla.
3. October 1988 - December 1992, F-16 Instructor Pilot, Flight Examiner, Assistant Chief of Standards and Evaluation, Misawa AB, Japan
4. Jan. 1993 - June 1993, Student, U.S. Air Force Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, Nev.
5. July 1993 - June 1996, F-16 Weapons Officer and Flight Commander, Spangdahlem AB, Germany
6. July 1996 - June 1999, F-16 U.S. Air Force Weapons School Instructor, Flight Commander, Chief of Wing Scheduling, Assistant Operations Officer, Nellis AFB, Nev.
7. July 1999 - June 2000, Chief of Safety, Inspector General, 8th FW, Kunsan AB, South Korea
8. July 2000 - June 2001, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
9. July 2001 - June 2002, Chief, F-22 Avionics and System Effectiveness, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Va.
10. July 2002 - June 2005, Special Assistant to the Commandant, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Commander, 16th Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev.
11. August 2005 - June 2006, Student, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
12. July 2006 - March 2007, Lead, Fixed Wing Applications, Force Applications, J-8, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
13. March 2007 - July 2008, Chief, Force Applications Engagement Division, J-8, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
14. July 2008 - July 2009, Vice Commander, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, Joint Base Balad, Iraq
15. July 2009 - May 2010, Chief, Senate Legislative Liaison, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
16. May 2010 - May 2011, Commander, 8th Fighter Wing, Kunsan AB, South Korea
17. May 2011 - October 2012, Deputy Director, Legislative Liaison, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
18. November 2012 - November 2013, Commander, 451st Air Expeditionary Wing and Kandahar Airfield (NATO), Kandahar, Afghanistan
19. January 2014 – May 2014, Assistant Deputy Commander, U.S. Air Forces Central Command and Assistant Vice Commander, 9th Air Expeditionary Task Force, Shaw AFB, S.C.
20. May 2014 - May 2015, Chief of Staff, United States Pacific Command, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii
21. June 2015 - August 2016, Commander, U.S. Forces Japan and Commander, 5th Air Force, Yokota AB, Japan
22. August 2016 - present, Director for Operations (J-3), Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 2006 - March 2007, Lead, Fixed Wing Applications, Force Applications, J-8, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a lieutenant colonel.
2. March 2007 - July 2008, Chief, Force Applications Engagement Division, J-8, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a colonel.
3. November 2012 - November 2013, Commander, Kandahar Airfield (NATO), Kandahar, Afghanistan as a brigadier general.
4. May 2014 - May 2015, Chief of Staff, United States Pacific Command as a major general
5. June 2015 - August 2016, Commander, U.S. Forces Japan as a lieutenant general
6. August 2016 - present, Director for Operations (J-3), Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.

FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 4,000 hours with more than 200 combat missions
Aircraft flown: F-16A/B/C/D

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Defense Superior Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with silver and bronze oak leaf clusters
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with bronze star
Iraq Campaign Medal with two bronze stars
NATO Non-Article Five Medal (ISAF)
Korean Defense Service Medal
General Emblem of Honor (Romania)

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTIONS
Second Lieutenant June 14, 1986
First Lieutenant Aug. 9, 1988
Captain Aug. 9, 1990
Major May 1, 1998
Lieutenant Colonel Nov. 1, 2002
Colonel Sept. 1, 2007
Brigadier General May 2, 2012
Major General Mar. 2, 2015
Lieutenant General June 5, 2015

(Current as of August 2018)