Douglas M. Stone

Douglas M. Stone is a Major General, United States Marine Forces Reserve, Retired. He recently relinquished the position of Deputy Commanding General, Detainee Operations, Multi-National Force-Iraq and Commander, Task Force 134, commanding all detention operations in at Camp Cropper, Camp Bucca and Camp Ashraf. He was nominated for Lieutenant General and was to be head of Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Forces North.

Active duty
MG Stone was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps after graduating from the United States Naval Academy in 1973. He served on active duty until 1978 holding positions of Weapons Platoon Commander, Company Executive Officer, and Battalion Assistant Operations Officer and Commanding Officer, Company A, Marine Barracks, Guam.

Assignments
In 1978, MG Stone accepted a reserve commission; and over the years served in the following positions:


 * Commanding Officer, Company B, 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment
 * Commanding Officer, Headquarters Company, 23rd Marine Regiment
 * Operations Officer 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment
 * Battalion Commander 2nd Battalion 23rd Marine Regiment
 * Deputy Commander, Marine Augmentation Command Element, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California
 * Marine Officer in Charge, Executive Support Center, Office of the Secretary of Defense (Joint Staff)
 * Commanding General, Marine Corps Mobilization Command
 * Deputy Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat Development Command (Mob)
 * Commanding General, Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command and Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center

Most recently Stone commanded detention facilities in Iraq, where his reforms were widely admired. Stone changed the structure of the detention, to more quickly expedite the release of captives who weren't enemies, or whose ties to the militants had been based on money, not ideology. And Stone changed how those held in detention were treated, allowing them visits from their family, and meaningful job skills training.

In April 2009 General David Petraeus called upon Stone to apply his successful experiene from Iraq to study the USA's policy on detaining captives apprehended in Afghanistan. His 700-page report was finished in August 2009, and Stone briefed senior officials including: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Richard Holbrooke (President Barack Obama's Special Envoy for the region), and General Stanley McChrystal, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. National Public Radio reports that while his report has not yet been made public officials briefed by him say he recommends releasing most Afghan captives, many of whom were not militants, just individuals rounded up in random sweeps. He is also reported to have recommended that those the USA does detain receive the same kind of rehabilitation the captives whose detention he supervised in Iraq received.

According to Radio Free Europe, Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific director, Sam Zia Zarifi, paraphrased Stone's report on the USA's detentions in Afghanistan: "pointed out that the lack of a legal structure for Bagram means that it is undermining the rule of law in Afghanistan and it has caused a lot of resentment among Afghans.".

Activations
Prior to being activated for Operation Iraqi Freedom, MG Stone had been activated once previously. He was activated and served with the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment in support of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. The Battalion, as part of its deployment to Okinawa was sent to Japan as MAGTF 4-91 supporting contingency and humanitarian relief operations in the Western Pacific. From May 2003 to August 2004 he served as the U.S. Defense Representative (and CENTCOM Liaison Officer) in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Special positions
MG Stone has served on the USMC Reserve Policy Board, the Board of Directors for the Toys for Tots Foundation, and on the Board of Advisors to the Naval Postgraduate School.

Awards and honors

 * MajGen Stone was an honor graduate at Army Ranger School.

Civilian career
MG Stone held various executive management positions at major computer and electronics firms and has been CEO of three software development firms.

Education
In addition to earning his Bachelor of Science Degree from the United States Naval Academy, he earned advanced degrees from Pepperdine University, Stanford University and the Naval War College. He earned a doctorate in Public Administration from the University of Southern California.

Family
He is married with two daughters and eight grandchildren.