General Jim Jones served as the National Security Adviser to President Obama from January 2009 to October 2010. Prior to that, General Jones was President and Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Chamber Institute for 21st Century Energy. From July 1999 to January 2003, General Jones was the 32nd Commandant of the Marine Corps. After relinquishing command as Commandant, he assumed the positions of Supreme Allied Commander, Europe and commander of the U.S. European Command, positions he held until December 2006.

General Jones retired from active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps in 2007, after more than 40 years of uniformed service. On November 28, 2007, he was appointed as the Department of State’s special envoy for Middle East security.

General Jones spent his formative years in France, returning to the United States to attend Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, from which he earned a B.S. degree in 1966. He is also a graduate of the National War College in Washington, D.C.

General Jones has served in a variety of command and staff positions while stationed in the United States, Europe, and Okinawa, Japan. In addition to combat experience in Vietnam, his deployment experiences included tours as commander of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit in Operation Provide Comfort in Northern Iraq and Turkey and, after advancing to Brigadier General, as Chief of Staff of the Joint Task Force Provide Promise for operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia. In addition to having been awarded national and international military awards, General Jones received an honorary doctorate of letters in 2002 from Georgetown University.