George W. Smith, Jr.

George W. Smith Jr. is a lieutenant general in the United States Marine Corps who currently serves as the Deputy Commandant for Plans, Policies, and Operations. He previously served as Senior Military Assistant to the United States Secretary of Defense, a position for which he was nominated by James Mattis in September 2018. He was commissioned in 1985 after graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, through a Naval ROTC program. He is the son of George W. Smith, who was a major general in the Marine Corps. On May 1, 2019, Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan announced that the president had nominated Lt. Gen. George W. Smith Jr. for reappointment to the rank of lieutenant general, and assignment as deputy commandant for plans, policies, and operations, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps.