Lieutenant General John Wissler, USMC Ret.

Serving over 39 years in the Marine Corps, Lieutenant General USMC (Retired) John Wissler commanded at every level of the Marine Corps from platoon to Marine Corps Component command, serving 34 months in combat operations in Iraq between 2003 and 2010. His combat assignments included commands at the Colonel, Brigadier General, and Major General ranks.  John’s other General Officer command assignments included a Marine Expeditionary Brigade; the Marine Corps’ only forward stationed Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) comprising over 30,000 Marines, Sailors and Military Civilians in Okinawa, Japan; and U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command and Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic, overseeing operations in Europe and Africa. While commanding III MEF, Lieutenant General Wissler was twice activated by US Indo-Pacific Command to lead a U.S. Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Task Force for operations in the Philippines in 2013 after Super Typhoon Haiyan, and for Earthquake relief in Nepal in 2015.  Marines under his command in III MEF stretched from Hawaii to South Korea, and Japan to Australia, including the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin.

His other notable assignments include Marine Corps Aide to Presidents George H. W. Bush and William J. Clinton; Senior Military Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense; and Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources, where he planned and executed an annual manpower, operations and maintenance, and procurement budget of over $40 billion and a five-year program exceeding $240 billion.

John has received the Order of the Rising Sun Gold and Silver Star from the Emperor of Japan; the Guekson Medal from the President of the Republic of South Korea, and numerous U.S. personal and campaign medals and ribbons.  LtGen Wissler is proud to have been designated an Honorary Chief Petty Officer in the United States Navy and an Honorary Marine in the Republic of Korea Marine Corps.

Upon military retirement in October 2017, John founded JPW Solutions, LLC and works as an independent consultant in leadership, teambuilding, logistics, and strategic planning venues across industry, foreign government, academia, and professional and collegiate sports. In addition to his work in leadership, culture, and team building, John currently serves as a member of the Australian Northern Territory Strategic Defense Advisory Board; an Adjunct Professor at the US Joint Forces Staff College and Joint Advanced Warfighting School; as an Advisor for Altana AI supporting supply chain risk management capabilities; and on several For-Profit and Non-Profit Advisory Boards and Boards of Directors, including the Saint John the XXIII Foundation that supports the Archdiocese of the Military Services.

John has a Bachelor of Science in Ocean Engineering from the United States Naval Academy; a Master of Science in Engineering Management from the Air Force Institute of Technology; and served as a Commandant of the Marine Corps and Federal Executive Fellow at The Brookings Institution studying Foreign Policy.

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