John D . Johnson John D . Johnson is a United States Army Lieutenant General . He was commissioned in the infantry upon graduation from the Virginia Military Institute in 1977 . Military career . Lieutenant General John D . Johnson is Director , Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization . He is responsible for leading the Defense Department ’ s actions to rapidly provide counter - IED capabilities in support of combatant commanders , military services and other federal agencies to enable the defeat of the IED as a weapon of strategic influence . Lieutenant General Johnson grew up in Texas and Oklahoma and was commissioned as an infantry second lieutenant upon graduation from the Virginia Military Institute in 1977 . He has served in numerous command , staff and teaching assignments throughout the world , including Germany , Iraq and Korea . As a company grade officer , he was an infantry platoon leader , scout platoon leader and company commander with the 1st Battalion , 30th Infantry Regiment , 3rd Infantry Division in Schweinfurt , Germany . He then served as a small group tactics instructor at the U . S . Army Infantry School at Fort Benning , Ga . , followed by tenure as an observer / controller at the Army ' s National Training Center , Fort Irwin , Calif . His next operational assignment was as the division war plans officer for the 8th Infantry Division , Bad Kreuznach , Germany . He later served as a brigade operations officer in the 2nd Brigade , 1st Armored Division and as the executive officer for the 4th Battalion , 12th Infantry Regiment , in Baumholder , Germany . Lieutenant General Johnson next commanded the 2nd Battalion , 7th Infantry Regiment , 24th Infantry Division ( later re - designated as the 3rd Infantry Division ) at Fort Stewart , Ga . He remained at Fort Stewart to serve as the division inspector general and as the division operations officer . As the operations officer , he deployed with the division to the Middle East during Operation Desert Thunder . He then returned to Germany to serve as the V Corps operations officer in Heidelberg and commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team , 1st Armored Division in Baumholder . In 2003 , he deployed the brigade in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom . On his return from Iraq , he served two tours at the Pentagon . The first was as the chief of the Strategy Division in the Deputy Directorate for the Global War on Terrorism on the Joint Staff . In the second tour , he served on the Army Staff as the Deputy Director for Strategy , Plans and Policy . As a brigadier general in 2006 , he was assigned as the assistant division commander for maneuver of the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea . Upon returning from Korea , he assumed the position of deputy commanding general for the Army ’ s Family and Morale , Welfare and Recreation Command . He later became the deputy commanding general ( operations ) for I Corps and Fort Lewis , Wash . He deployed in that role with the corps as the Headquarters for Multi - National Corps – Iraq . He returned to Joint Base Lewis - McChord where he served as the acting commanding general of I Corps and Joint Base Lewis - McChord . Prior to his current assignment , he was the commanding general , Eighth U . S . Army ; and Chief of Staff for United Nations Command , Combined Forces Command , and U . S . Forces Korea . Lieutenant General Johnson holds a master ’ s degree in strategic studies from the U . S . Army War College , two master ’ s degrees from the Army Command and General Staff College and a bachelor ’ s degree in history from the Virginia Military Institute .