John F. Campbell (general)

General John F. Campbell is a United States Army general who currently serves as the Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army. Prior to his current assignment, Campbell was the Deputy Chief of Staff G-3/5/7 of the United States Army. Campbell also served as Commanding General, 101st Airborne Division from 2009 to 2011.

Military career
Campbell graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1979 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Infantry. His first assignments were as a Rifle Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, and Anti-tank Platoon Leader with the 3rd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment in Wiesbaden, Germany.

After attending the Infantry Officers Advance Course and the Special Forces Qualification Course, Campbell served as a Battalion Adjutant and Operational Detachment Alpha Commander in 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina followed by assignments in the 82nd Airborne Division as commander of Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment and as the Division G-3 Air Officer.

Campbell was then assigned as the Assistant Professor of Military Science and then the Professor of Military Science at the University of California, Davis.

He was selected to attend the Command and General Staff College, after which he was again assigned to Ft Bragg and the 82nd Airborne Division, where he served as the Division G-3 Training Officer, Brigade Operations Officer for the 2nd Brigade, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment and as the Aide-de-camp for the XVIII Airborne Corps Commander (deployed during Operation Uphold Democracy).

Campbell commanded the 2nd Battalion 5th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii followed by attendance at the United States Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Upon graduation he was assigned to the Joint Staff.

Campbell commanded the 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division and the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment and deployed his Brigade Combat Team to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Following command Campbell was assigned to the Army Staff and served as the Executive Officer to the 35th Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Peter J. Schoomaker.

General officer assignments
After promotion to general officer, in 2005, Campbell was assigned to Fort Hood, Texas as the Deputy Commanding General for Maneuver (DCG-M) for the 1st Cavalry Division and deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as the DCG-M for Multi-National Division – Baghdad for both the 4th Infantry Division and the 1st Cavalry Division. Campbell's following assignment was as the Deputy Director for Regional Operations, J33, The Joint Staff.

In 2009, Campbell was named Commanding General, 101st Airborne Division, in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. While serving as the Commanding General, he also commanded Combined Joint Task Force 101 the operational headquarters for Regional Command East in Afghanistan from June 2010 to May 2011. Upon relinquishing command of the 101st Airborne Division in August 2011 to Major General James C. McConville, Campbell was promoted to Lieutenant General and became the Army Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3/5/7.

Campbell was promoted to General and sworn in as the Army Vice-Chief of Staff on 8 March 2013.

Awards and decorations
General Campbell has received six Overseas Service Bars.