Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Peter Pace, Speaks at Distinguished Leaders Series

Gen. Peter Pace retired from active duty in 2007 after more than 40 years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was sworn in as the 16th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2005, where he served as the principal military advisor to the President, the Secretary of Defense, the National Security Council, and the Homeland Security Council. Prior to becoming chairman, he was vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Gen. Pace holds the distinction of being the first Marine to have served in either position.

In 1968, upon completion of The Basic School, Quantico, Va., Gen. Pace was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division in the Republic of Vietnam. He later returned to Washington, D.C., where he served as security detachment commander, Camp David; White House social aide; and platoon leader, Special Ceremonial Platoon.

Gen. Pace has held command at virtually every level and served in overseas billets in Nam Phong, Thailand; Seoul, Korea; and Yokota, Japan. During his time as president, Marine Corps University, then-Brig. Gen. Pace also was a deputy commander, Marine Forces, Somalia, and deputy commander, Joint Task Force – Somalia. After an assignment as the director for operations, Joint Staff, Washington, D.C., then-Lt. Gen. Pace became the commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Atlantic/Europe/South. He was promoted to general and assumed duties as the commander in chief, United States Southern Command in 2000.

As the vice chairman from 2001 to 2005, Gen. Pace served as the chairman of the Joint Requirements Oversight Council, vice chairman of the Defense Acquisition Board, and as a member of the National Security Council Deputies Committee and the Nuclear Weapons Council. In addition, he acted for the chairman in all aspects of the planning, programming, and budgeting system including participation in the Defense Resources Board.

Gen. Pace’s personal decorations include: Defense Distinguished Service Medal, with two oak leaf clusters; Defense Superior Service Medal; the Legion of Merit; Bronze Star Medal with Combat V; the Defense Meritorious Service Medal; Meritorious Service Medal with gold star; Navy Commendation Medal with Combat V; Navy Achievement Medal with gold star; the Combat Action Ribbon; and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civil award.

A 1967 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Gen. Pace holds an MBA from The George Washington University, and he attended Harvard University for the Senior Executives in National and International Security program. The General also is a graduate of the Infantry Officers’ Advanced Course at Fort Benning, Ga., the Marine Corps Command and Staff College in Quantico, Va., and the National War College at Ft. McNair in Washington, D.C.

After his retirement from the Marine Corps, Gen. Pace has assumed several leadership positions in the business world. He is an operating partner of Behrman Capital, where he is chairman of the board of Pelican Products, Inc., and a member of the board of ILC Industries, Inc.; a member of the Board of Directors of Neohapsis; and president and CEO of Strategic Advisors Incorporated. Additionally, Gen. Pace is a long-standing member of the Board of Directors for the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation, a charity that provides scholarship bonds to children of Marines or Federal law enforcement personnel killed while serving their country.