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Home : Leadership : Article View

Lt. Gen. Dagvin R.M. Anderson

Director for Joint Force Development, J7

Lt .Gen. Dagvin Anderson Official Photo

Lt. Gen. Dagvin R.M. Anderson is the Director for Joint Force Development, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. The J7 supports the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) and the joint warfighter through joint force development (JFD) in order to advance the operational effectiveness of the current and future joint force. The J-7 is responsible for the six functions of joint force development: Doctrine, Education, Concept Development & Experimentation, Training, Exercises and Lessons Learned.

Originally from Ypsilanti, Michigan, Lt. Gen. Anderson was a distinguished graduate of the ROTC program at Washington University in St. Louis. He has flown the KC-135R, MC-130E, and U-28A operationally in several contingencies globally. He commanded a special operations squadron, an expeditionary squadron, an operations group, a special operations wing, and Special Operations Command, Africa. He was also the commander of JTF-Quartz, the repositioning of U.S. forces from Somalia. He was a Fellow at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University and was an Olmsted Scholar in the Czech Republic. Lt Gen Anderson has completed six joint staff tours at various echelons. He has two daughters and is married to Elizabeth, a native of Bangor, Maine.


EDUCATION
1992 Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis
1997 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2003 Masters, International Public Policy, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Washington, D.C.
2010 Fellow, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
2018 Capstone, National Defense University, Fort Leslie McNair, Washington, D.C.
2018 Joint Forces Air Component Course, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2021 Joint Flag Officer Warfighting Course, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.


ASSIGNMENTS
1. May 1993-June 1994, Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas
2. October 1994-September 1996, KC-135R Pilot, 91st Air Refueling Squadron, Malmstrom AFB, Mont.
3. September 1996-May 1999, KC-135R/T Instructor/Evaluator/Chief Pilot, 91st Air Refueling Squadron, MacDill AFB, Fla.
4. June 1999-May 2000, Student, Czech Language, Defense Language Institute, Monterey, Calif.
5. June 2000-July 2002, Olmsted Scholar, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
6. August 2002-May 2003, Student, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Washington, D.C.
7. September 2003-September 2005, Chief of Current Operations, MC-130E, 8th Special Operations Squadron, Duke Field, Fla.
8. September 2005-August 2007, Deputy Director of the Commander's Action Group, Aide-de-Camp to the Commander, United States Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Fla.
9. October 2007-April 2009, Operations Officer, 319th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
10. April 2009-June 2010, Commander, 19th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
11. July 2010-July 2011, Fellow Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
12. July 2011-July 2013, Commander, 58th Operations Group, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
13. July 2013-June 2014, Senior Aviation Advisor for Counter-Terrorism Operations, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
14. July 2014-June 2016, Commander, 58th Special Operations Wing, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
15. July 2016-June 2017, Special Assistant to the Commander and Director of the Commander’s Strategic Initiative Group, United Nations Command-Combined Forces Command-U.S. Forces Korea, Yongsan Garrison, South Korea
16. June 2017–June 2019, Deputy Director for Operations, Headquarters, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii
17. June 2019–July 2021, Commander Special Operations Command-Africa, Stuttgart, Germany
18. July 2021–August 2022, Vice Director for Operations, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
19. August 2022 –Present, Director for Joint Force Development, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.


SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. September 2005-August 2007, Deputy Director of the Commander's Action Group, Aide-de-Camp to the Commander, United States Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Fla., as a major and lieutenant colonel
2. July 2013-June 2014, Senior Aviation Advisor for Counter-Terrorism Operations, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a colonel
3. July 2016-June 2017, Special Assistant to the Commander and Director of the Commander’s Strategic Initiative Group, United Nations Command-Combined Forces Command-U.S. Forces Korea, Yongsan Garrison, South Korea, as a colonel
4. June 2017-June 2019, Deputy Director for Operations, Headquarters, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii, as a brigadier general
5. June 2019-July 2021, Commander Special Operations Command-Africa, Stuttgart, Germany, as a major general
6. July 2021–August 2022, Vice Director, Operations, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a major general
7. August 2022-Present, Director for Joint Force Development, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a lieutenant general


FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight Hours: more than 3,400 (738 combat)
Aircraft Flown: T-37, T-38, KC-135R/T, C-130E, MC-130E/H/P/J, HC-130P/N/J, AC-130U, UH-1N, TH-1, HH-60, Mi-17, MH-6, MV-22, CV-22, PC-12 and U-28A


MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal with 3 oak leaf clusters
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Bronze Star
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Medal with silver and bronze oak leaf cluster
Aerial Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters


EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Nov. 19, 1992
First Lieutenant Nov. 19, 1994
Captain Nov. 19, 1996
Major May 1, 2003
Lieutenant Colonel Dec. 1, 2006
Colonel Oct. 1, 2010
Brigadier General Aug. 2, 2017
Major General May 22, 2020
Lieutenant General Aug 8, 2022


(Current as of August 2022)