Robert Ashley

LTG Robert Ashley Jr., USA Director DIA October 2017 - October 2020 Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley Jr. became the 21st DIA director on October 3, 2017. He formerly served as the Army deputy chief of staff, G-2, where he was the senior advisor to the secretary of the Army and Army chief of staff for all aspects of intelligence, counterintelligence and security. Ashley is a career Army military intelligence officer, with assignments in Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Washington, D.C.; Fort Gordon, Georgia; MacDill Air Force Base, Florida; Izmir, Turkey; and deployments to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iraq and Afghanistan. He has commanded at the company, battalion, squadron and brigade level, with combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. His commands include the 206th Military Intelligence Battalion, Fort Gordon, Georgia; Intelligence Squadron, Office of Military Support, Washington, D.C.; and the 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade (Airborne), XVIII Airborne Corps. "He formerly served as the Army deputy chief of staff, G-2, where he was the senior advisor to the secretary of the Army and Army chief of staff for all aspects of intelligence, counterintelligence and security." Other key assignments include the Director of Intelligence, U.S. Army Joint Special Operations Command; the Director of Intelligence, U.S. Central Command; the Deputy Chief of Staff, Intelligence, International Security Assistance Force and Director of Intelligence, U.S. Forces, Afghanistan; and Commanding General, the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Ashley has a bachelor's degree in political science from Appalachian State University, a master’s degree in strategic intelligence from the National Intelligence University, and a master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College. His awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit and Bronze Star Medal. Ashley has also earned the Parachutist Badge, Army Aviation Crewmember Badge, Army Staff Identification Badge, and Australian Parachutist Badge. Ashley and his wife, Barbara, have two sons, Sean and Justin.