Michael T. Flynn
Encyclopedia
Michael T. Flynn is a United States Army
lieutenant general
and since September 28, 2011 has served as Assistant Director of National intelligence. He has consistently pushed for greater information and intelligence sharing and has been a leading figure in coalition and special operations intelligence operations. Flynn published an "extraordinary" report in JAN 2010 on "Fixing Intelligence in Afghanistan", a report that took to task the intelligence community for lacking an understanding of the human-socio context of the battlefield in Afghanistan. Flynn's career has been primarily operational serving in numerous combat arms conventional and special operations senior intelligence assignments. Flynn also served as the Senior intelligence officer for JSOC where he was credited with creating innovative techniques for interrogation operations and ops-intel fusion leading to major breakthroughs in counterterrorism operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere against Al Qaeda and its Associated Movements. Flynn is widely published author with articles appearing in Infantry Journal, Small Wars Journal, Joint Forces Quarterly, the Center for New American Strategy, and various Military Intelligence publications.
with a Bachelor of Science
degree in management science in 1981 and was commissioned
through Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps
. He also holds three masters degrees and a doctorate.
with the 82d Airborne Division, XVIII Airborne Corps, and Joint Special Operations Command, where he deployed for Operation Urgent Fury
in Grenada
and Operation Uphold Democracy
in Haiti
. He also has served with the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
, the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk
, Louisiana
, and the Army Intelligence Center
at Fort Huachuca
, Arizona
.
Flynn commanded the 111th Military Intelligence Brigade from June 2002 to June 2004. He served as the Assistant Chief of Staff, G2, XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg
, North Carolina
from June 2001 and the Director of Intelligence, Joint Task Force 180
in Afghanistan until July 2002.
Flynn served as the Director of Intelligence, Joint Staff from July 11, 2008 to June 14, 2009, then the Director of Intelligence, International Security Assistance Forces in Afghanistan from June 2009 to October 2010. He also served as the Director of Intelligence, United States Central Command
from June 2007 to July 2008, and the Director of Intelligence for Joint Special Operations Command from July 2004 to June 2007, with service in Afghanistan
(Operation Enduring Freedom) and Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom).
Flynn is a graduate of the Military Intelligence Officer Basic Course, Military Intelligence Officer Advanced Course, Army Command and General Staff College, the School of Advanced Military Studies, and Naval War College
. He earned a Master of Business Administration
in telecommunication
s from Golden Gate University
, a Master of Military Art and Science from the United States Army Command and General Staff College, a Master of Arts
in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College
and an honorary doctorate from the Institute of World Politics in Washington, DC.
(with two oak leaf clusters), Legion of Merit
(with oak leaf cluster), Bronze Star Medal
(with three oak leaf cluster), Meritorious Service Medal
(with five oak leaf cluster), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal (with five oak leaf cluster), and several service and campaign medals. Flynn has also earned the Ranger Tab
, Master Parachutist Badge, and Joint Staff Identification Badge.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
lieutenant general
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
and since September 28, 2011 has served as Assistant Director of National intelligence. He has consistently pushed for greater information and intelligence sharing and has been a leading figure in coalition and special operations intelligence operations. Flynn published an "extraordinary" report in JAN 2010 on "Fixing Intelligence in Afghanistan", a report that took to task the intelligence community for lacking an understanding of the human-socio context of the battlefield in Afghanistan. Flynn's career has been primarily operational serving in numerous combat arms conventional and special operations senior intelligence assignments. Flynn also served as the Senior intelligence officer for JSOC where he was credited with creating innovative techniques for interrogation operations and ops-intel fusion leading to major breakthroughs in counterterrorism operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere against Al Qaeda and its Associated Movements. Flynn is widely published author with articles appearing in Infantry Journal, Small Wars Journal, Joint Forces Quarterly, the Center for New American Strategy, and various Military Intelligence publications.
Education
Flynn graduated from the University of Rhode IslandUniversity of Rhode Island
The University of Rhode Island is the principal public research university in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Its main campus is located in Kingston. Additional campuses include the Feinstein Campus in Providence, the Narragansett Bay Campus in Narragansett, and the W. Alton Jones Campus in West...
with a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in management science in 1981 and was commissioned
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
through Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps
Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps
The Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps is the United States Army component of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. It is the largest ROTC program, with 20,000 ROTC cadets in 272 ROTC programs at major universities throughout the United States.The modern Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps...
. He also holds three masters degrees and a doctorate.
Career
Flynn's assignments have included multiple tours at Fort Bragg, North CarolinaFort Bragg (North Carolina)
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
with the 82d Airborne Division, XVIII Airborne Corps, and Joint Special Operations Command, where he deployed for Operation Urgent Fury
Invasion of Grenada
The Invasion of Grenada, codenamed Operation Urgent Fury, was a 1983 United States-led invasion of Grenada, a Caribbean island nation with a population of about 100,000 located north of Venezuela. Triggered by a military coup which had ousted a four-year revolutionary government, the invasion...
in Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
and Operation Uphold Democracy
Operation Uphold Democracy
Operation Uphold Democracy was an intervention designed to remove the military regime installed by the 1991 Haitian coup d'état that overthrew the elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide...
in Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
. He also has served with the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk
Fort Polk
Fort Polk is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, approximately 7 miles east of Leesville, Louisiana and 20 miles north of DeRidder, Louisiana....
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, and the Army Intelligence Center
United States Army Intelligence Center
The United States Army Intelligence Center of Excellence is the United States Army's school for professional training of military intelligence personnel...
at Fort Huachuca
Fort Huachuca
Fort Huachuca is a United States Army installation under the command of the United States Army Installation Management Command. It is located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about north of the border with Mexico. Beginning in 1913, for 20 years the fort was the base for the "Buffalo...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
.
Flynn commanded the 111th Military Intelligence Brigade from June 2002 to June 2004. He served as the Assistant Chief of Staff, G2, XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg (North Carolina)
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
from June 2001 and the Director of Intelligence, Joint Task Force 180
Combined Joint Task Force 82
Combined Joint Task Force – 82 is a US led subordinate formation of the International Security Assistance Force . It originally served as both the National Command Element for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, reporting directly to the Commander, United States Central Command, and as ISAF's Regional...
in Afghanistan until July 2002.
Flynn served as the Director of Intelligence, Joint Staff from July 11, 2008 to June 14, 2009, then the Director of Intelligence, International Security Assistance Forces in Afghanistan from June 2009 to October 2010. He also served as the Director of Intelligence, United States Central Command
United States Central Command
The United States Central Command is a theater-level Unified Combatant Command unit of the U.S. armed forces, established in 1983 under the operational control of the U.S. Secretary of Defense...
from June 2007 to July 2008, and the Director of Intelligence for Joint Special Operations Command from July 2004 to June 2007, with service in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
(Operation Enduring Freedom) and Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom).
Flynn is a graduate of the Military Intelligence Officer Basic Course, Military Intelligence Officer Advanced Course, Army Command and General Staff College, the School of Advanced Military Studies, and Naval War College
Naval War College
The Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...
. He earned a Master of Business Administration
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
in telecommunication
Telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
s from Golden Gate University
Golden Gate University
Golden Gate University is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in the South of Market district, immediately south of the Financial District of downtown San Francisco, California...
, a Master of Military Art and Science from the United States Army Command and General Staff College, a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College
Naval War College
The Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...
and an honorary doctorate from the Institute of World Politics in Washington, DC.
Office of the Director of National Intelligence
In September 2011, numerous media outlets reported on LTG Flynn's promotion to LTG and assignment to the Officeof the Director of National Intelligence. His duties include public, private, and international outreach and engagement. Flynn's influence throughout the intelligence community is primarily with operational units across all the services, especially in the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance arenas as well as the information technology and organizational design. Flynn is recognized as an innovator and change agent.Awards
Flynn has been awarded the Defense Superior Service MedalDefense Superior Service Medal
The Defense Superior Service Medal is a senior United States military decoration of the Department of Defense, awarded to members of the United States armed forces who perform "superior meritorious service in a position of significant responsibility."...
(with two oak leaf clusters), Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
(with oak leaf cluster), Bronze Star Medal
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
(with three oak leaf cluster), Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal (United States)
The Meritorious Service Medal is a military decoration presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguished themselves by outstanding meritorious achievement or service to the United States subsequent to January 16, 1969...
(with five oak leaf cluster), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal (with five oak leaf cluster), and several service and campaign medals. Flynn has also earned the Ranger Tab
Ranger Tab
The Ranger Tab is a service school military decoration of the United States Army signifying completion of the 61-day long Ranger School course in small-unit infantry combat tactics in woodland, mountain, and swamp operations. In December 2009 a British NCO earned the Ranger tab...
, Master Parachutist Badge, and Joint Staff Identification Badge.