John F. Mulholland Jr.

Lieutenant General John F. Mulholland Jr. (born c. 1955)[1] is a retired senior officer who served in the United States Army and is the former Associate Director for Military Affairs (ADMA) at the Central Intelligence Agency. LTG Mulholland previously served as Deputy Commander of the United States Special Operations Command,[2] after having previously served in the US Army's Special Forces. He commanded special operations task forces in both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, earning an appointment as Deputy Commanding General of the Joint Special Operations Command and later as Commanding General, US Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg.[3]

John F. Mulholland Jr.
Born1954/1955 (age 64–65)
Clovis, New Mexico
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch United States Army
Years of service1978–2015
Rank Lieutenant General
Commands heldDeputy Commander, USSOCOM
Commander, USASOC
Commander, SOCCENT
Deputy Commander, JSOC
Battles/warsOperation Iraqi Freedom
Operation Enduring Freedom
AwardsArmy Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal (4)
Legion of Merit (2)

Early life

Born in Clovis, New Mexico, Mulholland grew up in Bethesda, Maryland. He graduated from Furman University in 1978 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history.

Military career

Mulholland graduated from Furman University in 1978 with a bachelor's degree in history and was commissioned there as a second lieutenant in the infantry. His first assignment was in Fort Clayton, Panama, from 1979 to 1980, where he served as a rifle platoon leader in Company C, 4th Battalion (Mechanized), 20th Infantry, 193rd Infantry Brigade. From 1980 to 1982, he was rifle platoon leader and weapons platoon leader in Company A (Airborne), 3rd Battalion, 5th Infantry in Fort Kobbe, Panama. In 1983, he completed the Infantry Officer Advanced Course and then graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course. He then was assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group (A) at Fort Bragg, where he served as Operational Detachment-A commander and a Company commander from 1984 to 1986. Mulholland returned to Panama from 1987 to 1989, where he was appointed current operations officer and later exercises and ground operations officer in J-3 (Operations), Special Operations Command South, U.S. Southern Command.

He attended the Defense Language Institute and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College from January 1990 to June 1991. From June 1991 to 1993, Mulholland served with 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (A) at Fort Bragg as operations officer and later as an executive officer.

Following his tour with the 7th SFG (A), Mulholland volunteered for and completed selection for assignment to 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment - Delta commonly known as Delta Force where he served as assistant operations officer, deputy operations officer, and operations officer until June 1996.

Mulholland commanded 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (A), U.S. Army Pacific Command in Torii Station, Japan, until June 1998. He then assumed a battalion-level command within the U.S. Army Office of Military Support in Washington, D.C., until August 2000 when he attended the National War College in Washington, D.C. He assumed command of 5th SFG (A) at Fort Campbell, KY, in July 2001, and in October that year became commander of Task Force Dagger, Joint Special Operations Task Force North during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. He later served as commander of Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force - West and then Coalition-Joint Task Force-Arabian Peninsula during Operation Iraqi Freedom. In August 2003, he was assigned as chief of the Office of Military Cooperation in Kuwait. From August 2005 through July 2006, Mulholland served as commanding general, U.S. Army Special Forces Command (A). From August 2006 until June 2007, he served as deputy commanding general, Joint Special Operations Command. He assumed command of Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT) at MacDill AFB, FL, on June 22, 2007.[4][5] He served as the commander of United States Army Special Operations Command from November 7, 2008 until July 24, 2012.[6]

On December 12, 2008, in one of the largest awards ceremonies since the Vietnam era, Mulholland and the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) awarded 19 Silver Star Medals, two Bronze Star Medals for Valor, two Army Commendation Medals for Valor, and four Purple Hearts. In reference to their actions, Mulholland was quoted in saying "If you saw it in a movie, you'd shake your head and say it couldn't happen... But it did".[7][8][9]

He also served as a special assistant to the commanding general at U.S. Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg from October 2014 to January 2015 before being selected as Associate Director of the Central Intelligence Agency for Military Affairs.[10]

Personal life

Mulholland's family includes his wife, the former Miriam Mitchell of Clemson, South Carolina, and four children.[11]

Education

Date of Rank

Furman University ROTC Cadet – Class of 1978

RankDate
Second LieutenantFeb 2, 1979
First LieutenantJan 10, 1981
CaptainJan 1, 1983
MajorJan 1, 1991
Lieutenant ColonelMay 1, 1995
ColonelApr 1, 2001
Brigadier GeneralJan 1, 2005
Major GeneralJun 16, 2008
Lieutenant GeneralNov 7, 2008

Awards, Decorations, and Badges
U.S. military decorations
Army Distinguished Service Medal
 Defense Superior Service Medal (with 3 oak leaf clusters)
 Legion of Merit (with 1 oak leaf clusters)
Bronze Star Medal
 Defense Meritorious Service Medal (with oak leaf clusters)
 Meritorious Service Medal (with 2 oak leaf clusters)
 Army Commendation Medal (with 3 oak leaf clusters)
 Joint Service Achievement Medal (with 2 oak leaf cluster)
 Army Achievement Medal (with oak leaf cluster)
U.S. Unit Awards
Presidential Unit Citation
 Joint Meritorious Unit Award (with 2 leaf cluster)
 Valorous Unit Award (with oak leaf cluster)
U.S. Service (Campaign) Medals and Service and Training Ribbons
 National Defense Service Medal (with 1 service star)
 Afghanistan Campaign Medal (with 3 service stars)
 Iraq Campaign Medal (with 2 service stars)
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Armed Forces Reserve Medal
Army Service Ribbon
Army Overseas Service Ribbon (with award numeral "4")
Other accoutrements
Combat Infantryman Badge
Expert Infantryman Badge
Master Parachutist Badge
Military Freefall Parachutist Badge
Pathfinder Badge
Special Forces Tab
Ranger Tab
US Army Special Forces Combat Service Identification Badge
Army Special Forces Distinctive Unit Insignia
Irish Parachute Badge in Bronze
Unidentified foreign parachutist badge
8 Overseas Service Bars

In recognition of his distinguished service to his country, Mulholland received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2011.

See also

References
  1. p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
  2. "USSOCOM Fact Book 2013" (PDF). USSOCOM. 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-02-14. Retrieved Feb 22, 2013.
  3. Selection of Lt Gen Mulholland as CIA ADMA
  4. LTG Mulholland bio
  5. Lt. Gen. John F. Mulholland Jr., former USASOC commander, moves to CIA
  6. "Commando Builder: Q&A with Lt Gen Mulholland" (PDF). Volume: 8 Issue: 8 (October). Special Operations Technology. October 2010. p. 25. Retrieved February 22, 2013.
  7. 3rd Special Forces Group honors 19 with Silver Stars
  8. Wounded warrior Master Sgt. Luis Morales runs to give others inspiration
  9. ODA 3336 in the Shok Valley
  11. Mulholland personal life
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