| Michael Langley | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth name | Michael Elliott Langley |
| Born | 1961/1962 (age 63–64)[1] |
| Place of birth | Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1985–2025 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands held | Page Template:Plainlist/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "wikitext"). |
| Battles/wars | War in Afghanistan |
| Awards | |
Michael Elliott Langley (born 1961/1962)[1] is a retired United States Marine Corps general who has served as the commander of the United States Africa Command since 9 August 2022.[2][3] He most recently served as commander of United States Marine Corps Forces Command, United States Marine Corps Forces Northern Command, and Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic from November 2021 to August 2022.[4] He also served as deputy commander of Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic and before that as commander of United States Marine Forces Europe and Africa.[5][6][7][8]
Langley is the first black four-star general in the United States Marine Corps, having been promoted to that rank on 6 August 2022.[9][10][11]
Early life and education[]
A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, Langley graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington, where he majored in information systems analysis.[7] Langley's father was a master sergeant in the United States Air Force. When his father retired from the military in the early 1970s, the family moved to a civilian neighborhood in Texas.[6] His father, Willie C. Langley, retired when he was told he would be deployed overseas again, separating him from his children. He was the primary caregiver for his children after their mother's death.[12]
Military career[]
Langley is promoted to general in a ceremony at Marine Barracks Washington on August 6, 2022.
While attending college, Langley entered the Platoon Leaders Course (PLC) program in 1983,[13] and was commissioned as an Artillery Officer in 1985 through Officer Candidates School. He commanded at every level from platoon to regiment – including Battery K, 5th Battalion, 11th Marines in support of Operation Wildfire in Western United States; battalion and regimental commands in 12th Marines forward deployed in Okinawa, Japan; and both the 201st Regional Corps Advisory Command-Central and Regional Support Command – Southwest in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
As a General Officer, Langley's command assignments include Deputy Commanding General, II Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) and Commanding General, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade; Commander, Marine Forces Europe and Africa; and Deputy Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic and Deputy Commander, Marine Forces Command and Marine Forces Northern Command.[14]
Langley holds a master's degree in national security strategic studies from the Naval War College and a master's degree in strategic studies from the United States Army War College.[14]
Four-star general[]
In June 2022, Langley was nominated for promotion to general and assignment as commander of United States Africa Command. The nomination was confirmed by the Senate in August 2022, making him the first black four-star general in the 246-year history of the Marine Corps.[15][16][17][18][10]
Awards and decorations[]
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| 1st row | Defense Superior Service Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster | Legion of Merit with two gold award stars | Bronze Star Medal | Defense Meritorious Service Medal | ||||||||
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| 2nd row | Meritorious Service Medal with award star | Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with two award stars | Joint Service Achievement Medal | Joint Meritorious Unit Award with two bronze oak leaf clusters | ||||||||
| 3rd row | Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation with one bronze service star | National Defense Service Medal with service star | Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal | Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two service stars | ||||||||
| 4th row | Global War on Terrorism Service Medal | Humanitarian Service Medal | Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with one silver and three bronze service stars | NATO Medal for ISAF | ||||||||
| Badges | Marine Corps Rifle Sharpshooter Badge | Marine Corps Pistol Sharpshooter Badge | ||||||||||
| Badges | Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge | United States Africa Command Badge | ||||||||||
References[]
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Government.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cooper, Helene (August 6, 2022). "After 246 Years, Marine Corps Gives 4 Stars to a Black Officer". New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/06/us/politics/michael-langley-marine-four-stars.html.
- ↑ "DVIDS Webcast - AFRICOM Change of Command". https://www.dvidshub.net/webcast/29268.
- ↑ "U.S. Africa Command welcomes a new boss". AfrikPage. https://afrikpage.com/2022/08/09/u-s-africa-command-welcomes-a-new-boss/.
- ↑ "Marine Forces in Hampton Roads welcome new commander next week". Norfolk, Virginia. October 19, 2021. https://www.wavy.com/news/military/marines/marine-forces-in-hampton-roads-welcome-new-commander-next-week/.
- ↑ "Major General Michael E. Langley". https://www.marforcom.marines.mil/Leaders/article-view-display/Article/614561/major-general-michael-e-langley/.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Vandiver, John (February 26, 2021). "How an early promotion kept a young Black Marine on the path to become a general". https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/how-an-early-promotion-kept-a-young-black-marine-on-the-path-to-become-a-general-1.663672.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Vandiver, John. "Langley takes over Marine mission in Europe, Africa following Neary's relief". https://www.stripes.com/news/langley-takes-over-marine-mission-in-europe-africa-following-neary-s-relief-1.650885.
- ↑ Chavez, Larisa (May 23, 2018). "2nd MEB Commanding General Promotion, Relinquishment". Camp Lejeune, North Carolina: II Marine Expeditionary Force. https://www.dvidshub.net/image/4421898/2nd-meb-commanding-general-promotion-relinquishment.
- ↑ "Gen. Michael Langley becomes the Marine Corps' first black four-star general". Washington, D. C.. August 6, 2022. https://www.dvidshub.net/news/426708/gen-michael-langley-becomes-marine-corps-first-black-four-star-general.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Jeong, Andrew (August 3, 2022). "Michael E. Langley confirmed as first Black four-star Marine general". https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/08/03/michael-langley-first-black-four-star-marine-general/.
- ↑ "Lt. Gen. Michael Langley confirmed for promotion to General". August 2, 2022. https://www.dvidshub.net/news/426356/lt-gen-michael-langley-confirmed-promotion-general.
- ↑ Chason, Rachel; Lamothe, Dan (July 20, 2022). "After 246 years, Marines set for their first Black four-star general". https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/20/michael-langley-africom-marines-general/.
- ↑ South, Todd (2022-09-09). "Grit & drive: The story of the Marine Corps' 1st Black 4-star general" (in en). https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2022/09/09/grit-drive-the-story-of-the-marine-corps-1st-black-4-star-general/.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Lieutenant General Michael E. Langley". https://www.marforcom.marines.mil/Leaders/article-view-display/Article/614561/lieutenant-general-michael-e-langley/.
- ↑ "PN2255 — Lt. Gen. Michael E. Langley — Marine Corps". June 8, 2022. https://www.congress.gov/nomination/117th-congress/2255?s=1&r=1.
- ↑ Schmitt, Eric; Cooper, Helene (May 20, 2022). "Pentagon Taps Next Commander of U.S. Forces in Africa". Washington, D. C.. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/20/us/politics/pentagon-africa-command-langley.html.
- ↑ Joyner, James (May 21, 2022). "Michael Langley to be 1st Black Marine 4-Star General". https://www.outsidethebeltway.com/michael-langley-to-be-1st-black-marine-4-star-general/.
- ↑ Diaz, Jaclyn (July 20, 2022). "The Marines are set to have the first Black 4-star general in their 250 -year history". https://www.npr.org/2022/07/20/1112558286/marines-first-black-four-star-general.
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