# Robert P. Ashley Jr.

Robert Paul Ashley Jr. is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Army who served as the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency from 2017 to 2020. He previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army G-2. He received a commission through ROTC as a 1984 graduate of Appalachian State University. He retired from active duty on October 1, 2020. He currently serves as Senior Advisor to the Chairman of Arcanum, a global strategic intelligence company. He is the son of a United States Air Force veteran of the Korean War who later lived in North Carolina and worked a sewing machine mechanic. Ashley is a commissioner on the Afghanistan War Commission.

## Education

* Bachelor of Science degree in political science, Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina.
* Master of Science degree in strategic intelligence management, National Intelligence University, Bethesda, Maryland.
* Master of Science degree in strategic studies, US Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.

## Military career
### Operational deployments

* Intelligence Analyst, Allied Land Forces Southern Europe, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, Izmir, Turkey
* Secretary to the Joint Military Commission, Stabilization Force, Operation Joint Forge, Bosnia-Herzegovina
* Commander, Office of Military Support, Washington, D.C., Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom
* Commander, 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade(Airborne), XVIII Airborne Corps Operation Iraqi Freedom
* Deputy Chief of Staff, Intelligence, International Security Assistance Force and Director of Intelligence, United States Forces-Afghanistan

## Dates of rank

| Rank | Date |
| Second lieutenant | May 23, 1984 |
| First lieutenant | November 23, 1985 |
| Captain | May 1, 1988 |
| Major | May 1, 1995 |
| Lieutenant colonel | June 1, 1999 |
| Colonel | May 1, 2004 |
| Brigadier general | June 21, 2010 |
| Major general | January 3, 2013 |
| Lieutenant general | March 2, 2016 |

## Awards and decorations

* Basic Army Aircrew Badge
* Basic Parachutist Badge
* Army Staff Identification Badge
* Defense Intelligence Agency Badge
* United States Special Operations Command Combat Service Identification Badge
* UK Parachutist Badge
* Army Military Intelligence Corps Distinctive Unit Insignia
* 7 Overseas Service Bars
* Army Distinguished Service Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster
* Defense Superior Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
* Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
* Bronze Star Medal with two oak leaf clusters
* Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
* Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
* Joint Service Commendation Medal
* Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
* Joint Service Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
* Army Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
* Joint Meritorious Unit Award with two bronze oak leaf clusters
* Army Meritorious Unit Commendation
* Army Superior Unit Award with oak leaf cluster
* National Defense Service Medal with one bronze service star
* Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
* Afghanistan Campaign Medal with four service stars
* Iraq Campaign Medal with two service stars
* Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
* Korea Defense Service Medal
* Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal
* Army Service Ribbon
* Army Overseas Service Ribbon
* NATO Medal for the former Yugoslavia
* Order of the Rising Sun (Japan), 2nd Class, Gold and Silver Star