Vincent R. Stewart

Vincent R. Stewart is a lieutenant general in the United States Marine Corps. He is assigned as the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. As of 23 January, 2015, Lt. Gen. Stewart is the first African-American and first marine to hold the position of Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).

Early life, Career, and Education
Stewart was born in Kingston, Jamaica. He attended Kingston College before immigrating to the United States in the early 1970s. He received his baccalaureate in history in 1981 from Western Illinois University, and commissioned into the United States Marine Corps in 1981.

After earning his commission, he attended The Basic School (TBS) in Quantico, Virginia from 1981-1982 and was selected to become an Armor Officer. Upon graduation from TBS, he was sent to Armor Officer School in Fort Knox, KY. He then received orders as a Platoon Leader to 1st Tank Battalion out of Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms. In 1984, he became the Executive Officer of Headquarters Company, 1st Tank Battalion.

He earned master’s degrees in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College in 1995 and in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University in 2002.

Marine Corps assignments
Platoon Leader, A Company, 1st Tank Battalion (1982-1983).

Project Officer, Light Armored Vehicle, Anti-Tank, Twenty-Nine Palms, CA, (1983-1984).

Executive Officer, Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Tank Battalion (1984-1985).

Company Commander, I Company, Marine Support Battalion, Adak, Alaska, (1986-1988).

Company Commander, Headquarters and Service Company, 2d Radio Battalion (1989-1990).

Assistant Signals Intelligence Officer, 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade, (1990-1991).

Assistant Operations Officer, 2d Radio Battalion, Camp Lejeune, NC, (1991-1992).

Company Commander, E Company, Marine Support Battalion, Misawa Japan (1992- 1994).

Chief, Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence Officer, Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force, Experimental, Quantico, VA, (1996-1999).

Commanding Officer, 1st Intelligence Battalion, Camp Pendleton, CA, (1999-2001).

Deputy G-2, Marine Forces Central Command (2002).

Assistant Chief of Staff, Intelligence, Marine Corps Forces Command, Norfolk, VA, (2005-2006).

Commanding Officer, Headquarters Battalion, 2d Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, NC, (2006-2008).

Assistant Chief of Staff, Intelligence, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, NC, (2008-2009).

Department of Defense assignments
Deputy Director, Intelligence Policy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, C3I (2001-2002).

Senior Intelligence Planner, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (2002-2005)

Director of Intelligence, HQMC, Washington, DC, (2009-2013).

Director, Defense Intelligence Agency, (2015).

Commander, Joint Functional Component Command for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency, (2015).

Awards and decorations
Defense Superior Service Medal; the Legion of Merit with one gold star; the Bronze Star; the Meritorious Service Medal with one gold star; the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, with two gold stars; ; the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal; the Combat Action Ribbon; the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal; and various unit awards.