Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Michael David Maples,

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

(born May 17, 1949) served as the 16th

Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency The Director of the United States Defense Intelligence Agency is a military officer who, upon nomination by the President of the United States and confirmation by the Senate, serves as the United States' highest-ranking military intelligence offic ...

( DIA), appointed on November 4, 2005. He was promoted to lieutenant general on November 29. Maples also commanded the Joint Functional Component Command for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (JFCC-ISR) for the

United States Strategic Command United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands in the United States Department of Defense. Headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, USSTRATCOM is responsible for Strategic_nuclear_weapon, ...

(USSTRATCOM). He transferred his Directorship of the Defense Intelligence Agency and his command of JFCC-ISR to LTG Ronald Burgess on March 18, 2009. Maples formally served as the vice director of management of the

Joint Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, that advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and the ...

Early life

Maples, a native of

Bonham, Texas Bonham is a city and the county seat of Fannin County, Texas. The population was 10,408 at the 2020 census. James Bonham (the city's namesake) sought the aid of James Fannin (the county's namesake) at the Battle of the Alamo. Bonham is part of t ...

, was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Field Artillery following graduation from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

in 1971. He holds a

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in organizational behavior from

Pacific Lutheran University Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) is a private Lutheran university in Parkland, Washington. It was founded by Norwegian Lutheran immigrants in 1890. PLU is sponsored by the 580 congregations of Region I of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ame ...

. His military education includes the Field Artillery Officer Advanced Course, the

United States Army Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

, and the National War College.Fort Sill PAO
/ref>

Military career

Maples became the commanding general of the United States Army Field Artillery Center at Fort Sill on August 23, 2001. Prior to assuming his duties as DIA Director, Maples served at Headquarters, Department of the Army as the director of operations, readiness and mobilization, and the director of military support in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans. He was previously assigned as the assistant division commander (support), 1st Armored Division, and senior tactical commander of the

Baumholder Baumholder () is a town in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, in the Westrich, an historic region that encompasses areas in both Germany and France. The town of Baumholder is the administrative seat of the like-named ''Verba ...

Military Community. As the deputy chief of staff for Operations, Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC), and for the Kosovo Force (KFOR), LTG General Maples planned and executed the entry of NATO forces into Kosovo. Previous assignments include serving as the assistant chief of staff, G3,

V Corps 5th Corps, Fifth Corps, or V Corps may refer to: France * 5th Army Corps (France) * V Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * V Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Ar ...

, Heidelberg, Germany, and deputy chief of staff operations for

United States Army Europe United States Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) is an Army Service Component Command (ASCC) /Theater Army responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICO ...

(FWD), Taszar, Hungary, supporting United States forces in the Balkans in

Operation Joint Endeavor The Implementation Force (IFOR) was a NATO-led multinational peace enforcement force in Bosnia and Herzegovina under a one-year mandate from 20 December 1995 to 20 December 1996 under the codename ''Operation Joint Endeavour''. Background NAT ...

. Maples commanded the

41st Field Artillery Brigade The 41st Field Artillery Brigade ("Rail Gunners)" is a Field Artillery Brigade of the United States Army. Initially only operating from October to December of 1918, it has since operated as a Brigade level staff from 1921 to 1931, 1942–1944, 1 ...

, Babenhausen, Germany; the 6th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery (MLRS) at Fort Sill, Oklahoma and Desert Shield/Desert Storm; and B Battery, 6th Battalion, 37th Field Artillery (155 T), 2d Infantry Division, Republic of Korea. During

Desert Storm The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

, his battalion was the only ATACMS capable unit in theater and provided support to both VII and XVIII Corps, as well as the 6th French, 101st Airborne, 24th Infantry, 1st Armored and 1st Infantry Divisions.

Other assignments

Other assignments include deputy commander of V Corps Artillery; senior military aide to the Secretary of the Army; successive assignments in the 1st Armored Division Artillery in Zirndorf, Germany, as the division artillery assistant S3; S3 and executive officer of the 1st Battalion, 94th Field Artillery (8"/MLRS), division assistant fire support coordinator and division artillery executive officer; tactical officer, Company D-4, United States Corps of Cadets,

; aide-de-camp to the Commanding General United States Army Readiness Region VII; training management officer, United States Army Readiness Group, Fort Sam Houston, Texas; and fire direction officer and executive officer in C Battery, 2d Battalion, 34th Field Artillery (155 SP), at Fort Lewis, Washington and Fort Knox, Kentucky.

Decorations

LTG Maples' decorations include the Defense Superior Service Award with

Oak Leaf Cluster An oak leaf cluster is a ribbon device to denote preceding decorations and awards consisting of a miniature bronze or silver twig of four oak leaves with three acorns on the stem. It is authorized by the United States Armed Forces for a speci ...

, the Legion of Merit with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

, the

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: * Meritorious Civilian Service Award *Meritorious Service Me ...

with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the

Army Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

with Oak Leaf Cluster, and the

Army Achievement Medal The Achievement Medal is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. The Achievement Medal was first proposed as a means to recognize outstanding achievement or meritorious service of military personnel who were not eligible to recei ...

. Foreign decorations include the French Croix de Guerre for exterior theater operations with Silver Star. While CDR, 41st FA BDE in Baubenhausen, Germany, then COL Maples was awarded the Georgia Commendation Medal eorgia National Guard - USAby LTC Frank Williams - 3ID RTOC, in July 1996.

Testimony on interrogation methods

Lt. Gen. Maples has testified in Congressional hearings with regard to controversies about

enhanced interrogation methods "Enhanced interrogation techniques" or "enhanced interrogation" is a euphemism for the program of systematic torture of detainees by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and various components of the U.S. ...

such as

waterboarding Waterboarding is a form of torture in which water is poured over a cloth covering the face and breathing passages of an immobilized captive, causing the person to experience the sensation of drowning. In the most common method of waterboard ...

. On February 27, 2008, he testified before the

Senate Armed Services Committee The Committee on Armed Services (sometimes abbreviated SASC for ''Senate Armed Services Committee'') is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of the nation's military, including the Department of Def ...

that waterboarding is not consistent with Common Article 3 of the

Geneva Conventions upright=1.15, Original document in single pages, 1864 The Geneva Conventions are four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish international legal standards for humanitarian treatment in war. The singular term ''Geneva Conve ...

and that it is inhumane.TPM Muckraker, "Army Official: Yes, Waterboarding Breaks International Law," February 27, 2008
/ref>

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maples, Michael D. 1949 births Living people United States Military Academy alumni Pacific Lutheran University alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army generals Recipients of the Legion of Merit Directors of the Defense Intelligence Agency National War College alumni United States Army Field Artillery Branch personnel