Richard P . Mills ( general ) Lieutenant General Richard P . Mills is a senior United States Marine Corps officer and , as of 2013 , is commander of the Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Forces North , headquartered at the Marine Corps Support Facility New Orleans . Previously he was Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration and Commanding General , Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico , Virginia , and , prior to that assignment , was commander of the I Marine Expeditionary Force ( Forward ) / Regional Command Southwest in Afghanistan . Biography . A native of Huntington , New York , Mills graduated from Franklin and Marshall College with a BA in political science and a minor in history and was commissioned in 1975 as a Second Lieutenant via Officer Candidate School . Mills reported to 1st Battalion , 5th Marines , 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton where he served until 1978 . Following that he was assigned for a year to the 3rd Marine Division on Okinawa , Japan . From 1979 to 1982 he was part of the 2nd Recruit Training Battalion at Parris Island , South Carolina . Upon his promotion to Captain he assumed command of Company D , Recruit Training Regiment . Captain Mills studied at the Amphibious Warfare School in Quantico , Virginia , then moved to the 6th Marines , 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune , North Carolina . Mills was promoted to Major in 1986 and assigned to Marine Corps Headquarters in Washington , DC from 1986 to 1989 . He later attended the Marine Corps Command and Staff College , then spent a year as a Military Observer with the United Nations in Palestine . Mills was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and served as the Operations Officer of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit ( Special Operations Capable ) from 1993 to 1995 . Following that he was assigned to the staff of the Commander of the United States Sixth Fleet in Gaeta , Italy . He returned to the 2nd Marine Division in 1997 when he assumed command of 3rd Battalion , 6th Marines . Lieutenant Colonel Mills studied at the UK Royal College of Defence Studies in London in 1999 . before returning to II Marine Expeditionary Force . He was selected to command the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit ( Special Operations Capable ) in 2000 and promoted to Colonel . Under his command the 24th MEU ( SOC ) deployed in Operation Joint Guardian in Kosovo , Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan , and combat operations during Operation Iraqi Freedom as part of Task Force Tarawa . In June 2003 Colonel Mills reported to Headquarters , United States European Command in Stuttgart , Germany as the Assistant Chief of Staff . Upon his promotion to Brigadier General in May 2004 he became the Deputy Director of Operations at EUCOM . In 2006 he was assigned to the Headquarters of the Marine Corps as Director , Manpower Management Division . In May 2007 Brigadier General Mills became commander of the 1st Marine Division and spent most of the next two years in Iraq . He was promoted to Major General in late 2007 and from October 2007 to January 2009 served in a dual role as Assistant Division Commander , 1st Marine Division and Commander , Ground Combat Element , Multi - national Forces – West in Anbar Governorate , Iraq . Upon his return from Iraq , Major General Mills continued as Assistant Division Commander until July 2009 when he resumed command of the 1st Marine Division . In December 2009 Major General Mills was selected to command the I Marine Expeditionary Force ( Forward ) , deployed to Afghanistan in April 2010 , and assumed command of all Marine combat units in the country . As part of a restructuring of the NATO - led mission in Afghanistan , Regional Command South ( commanded by British Major General Nick Carter ) was split into two commands . Carter remained in charge of Kandahar and Mills became the commander of the newly formed Regional Command Southwest and took under command 8 , 000 of the 9 , 500 British troops in Afghanistan , as well as 20 , 000 U . S . Marines in Helmand Province . In Afghanistan , Mills made clear that his objective involved more than just victory on the battlefield . On the importance of training Afghan forces to succeed , he has been quoted as saying “ We will be here with them as we develop the Afghan security forces to eventually take over our role , so we can leave , ” On the importance of not leaving Afghanistan until the country is ready , he has also been reported as saying the Afghans “ have been very , very concerned we may leave them prematurely . ” After his return from Afghanistan , Mills was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General in July 2011 and replaced Lieutenant General George Flynn as Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration and Commanding General , Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico , VA . Lieutenant General Mills has a reputation for having a good sense of humor and being open to subordinates , officers have told reporters . Junior officers are “ not afraid to approach him ” . Mills is an avid fan of the New York Giants football team .