General Mahoney was born in South Weymouth, Massachusetts and graduated from Holy Cross in June 1987. He completed The Basic School (TBS) and Infantry Officer Course (IOC) at Quantico, Virginia in 1988.
After earning his qualification as an A-6E Intruder pilot, General Mahoney deployed to the Indo-Pacific with VMA(AW)-224, The Bengals. He completed transition training to the F/A-18 at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) El Toro and made multiple deployments with VMFA(AW)- 224, VMFA-122, The Crusaders, and VMFA(AW)-242, The Bats, to the Indo-Pacific, Italy, and Iraq.
He has held command at the squadron, group, and wing levels. He completed a Joint Force tour as Chief of Staff of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California, and he served as the Executive Assistant to the Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources at Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps (HQMC).
His General Officer duties include 37th Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps; Deputy Commander, U.S. Marine Forces Pacific; Director of Strategy and Plans at HQMC; Deputy Commander, U.S. Forces, Japan; Commanding General, 3d Marine Aircraft Wing; and Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources, HQMC.
General Mahoney was sworn in as the 13th Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on October 1, 2025. In this capacity, he is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the nation’s second highest-ranking military officer.
General Mahoney is a graduate of the IOC, Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course (WTI), the Marine Division Tactics Course (MDTC), and the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN). He served as an instructor at the Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron-1 (MAWTS-1) at MCAS Yuma, Arizona and has over 5,000 hours of flight time in the A-6E, F-5, F/A-18, and the F-35B/C. He is also a qualified Forward Air Controller and parachutist. General Mahoney holds Master’s Degrees from University of Canberra, Australia and the Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base with the highest academic distinction.