Lieutenant General John K. Love

A native of Texas, Lieutenant General Love enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserves in 1981 and obtained the rank of Corporal before graduating from Texas Tech University and receiving a commission in 1984. As a career infantry officer, he has commanded at the platoon, company, battalion, regiment, brigade, and division levels, to include command of the 8th Marine Regimental Combat Team during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM in 2009. He has served in all three active duty Marine Corps Divisions, as well as the School of Infantry in California and on recruiting duty in Florida.

Lieutenant General Love’s Joint assignments include: Headquarters, U.S. Central Command, MacDill AFB, FL from 1998-2001 where he served one year each as a Ground Plans Officer, Executive Assistant to the Deputy Commander, and Deputy Director of the Commander’s Action Group; and Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq as the Senior Advisor to the Iraqi Director of Operations, Iraqi Joint Headquarters in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM in 2006.

Lieutenant General Love’s previous assignments as a general officer include: Chief of Staff, Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO, where he participated in NATO Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR in 2011 (Enforcement of UN Security Council Resolutions in Libya); Deputy Commanding General, II Marine Expeditionary Force and Commanding General, 2d Marine Expeditionary Brigade; Marine Corps Director of Operations; and Commanding General, 2d Marine Division.

A graduate of Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the Armed Forces Staff College, Lieutenant General Love was also a Marine Corps Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. He has been married since 1986, and he and his wife have a son who is a veteran Marine sergeant, and a son and daughter-in-law who are both active duty Marine captains.