Research, ideas, and leadership for a more secure, peaceful world
A Discussion with BG Mark O?Neill
For the past year BG O’Neill served as Gen Petraeus’ deputy helping develop the Army’s new counterinsurgency manual and training mid-grade officers for service in the Army. He has personal combat experience in Afghanistan and Iraq and helped direct Army strategic planning at the Pentagon. He provides unique insights into the thinking behind the new operations in Iraq and the lessons which the Army is learning from that conflict.
BG O’Neill currently serves as the acting commander of the Combined Arms Center at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, the command that oversees the Command and General Staff College and 17 other schools, centers, and training programs located throughout the United States. The Combined Arms Center is also responsible for: development of the Army’s doctrinal manuals, training of the Army’s commissioned and noncommissioned officers, oversight of major collective training exercises, integration of battle command systems and concepts, and supervision of the Army’s Center for the collection and dissemination of lessons learned.
Prior to this assignment, he served as the Deputy Division Commander for Support, 3rd Infantry Division and as Deputy Division Commander (Support), Multinational Division – Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
He previously served as the Deputy Director for Strategy, Plans and Policy, Department of the Army and in command and staff positions with the 82d Airborne Division, 10th Mountain Division, 25th Infantry Division, and the 3rd Infantry Division. He has commanded tactical units at the platoon, company, battalion and brigade level, and served as the Chief of Staff of the 10th Mountain Division. He has also served as Assistant Army Attaché in the Defense Attaché Office, American Embassy, Beijing, China. In addition to service during Operation Iraqi Freedom, General O’Neill has served during Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
General O’Neill is a 1978 graduate from the United States Military Academy and the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, where he earned a Master of Arts degree in National Security Affairs. He completed advanced Chinese language and area studies in Hong Kong where he studied at the Beijing University School of Foreign Languages and the British Ministry of Defense Chinese Language School. General O’Neill is a graduate of the Armed Forces Staff College and the U.S. Army War College. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.