Lieutenant General JP McGee is the Director for Strategy, Plans, and Policy (J-5) on the Joint Staff. As the J-5 Director, he is responsible to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as the nation’s highest-ranking military officer and prinicipal military advisor to the President, Secretary of Defense, and National Security Council.
Prior to becoming the J-5 Director, LTG McGee served as the Commanding General of the 101st Airborne Division in Fort Campbell Kentucky.
A native of Atherton, California, LTG McGee earned his commission in 1990 as a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point.
LTG McGee has served in a variety of leadership positions as an Infantry Officer, from Platoon Leader to Division Commander. He has 57 months deployed in support of combat operations for ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM. His notable staff tours include Joint Special Operations Command, Joint Staff, and twice on the Army Staff. His previous position on the Joint Staff was as the Deputy Executive Assistant to the 17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen. Within the Army Staff, he served as Executive Officer to the 38th Chief of Staff of the Army, General Raymond Odierno, and as Director of the Talent Management Task Force.
LTG McGee has commanded in the 82nd Airborne Division, 75th Ranger Regiment, and 101st Airborne Division. His operational assignments as a General Officer include Deputy Commander of Sustainment for the 1st Cavalry Division, Deputy Commanding General (Operations) for Army Cyber Command, and the 101st Airborne Division.
In addition to his Bachelor of Science in Engineering from West Point, LTG McGee holds a Master of Administration from Central Michigan University. He is an alumnus of the Army’s Senior Fellows program, where he studied at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution.
LTG McGee has three children and is married to the former Catherine Nied.