Lieutenant General Robert P. Ashley, Jr. became the 21st Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency on 3 October 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.
Lieutenant General Ashley is a career army military intelligence officer with assignments in Fort Bragg, NC, Washington, DC, Fort Gordon, GA, MacDill Air Force Base, FL, Izmir, Turkey, and deployments to Operation JOINT FORGE, Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, Iraq, and Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, Afghanistan.
He has commanded at the company, battalion, squadron, and brigade levels with combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as a squadron, brigade commander, and J-2. His commands include the 206th Military Intelligence Battalion, Fort Gordon, GA, Intelligence Squadron, Office of Military Support, Washington, DC, and the 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade (Airborne), XVIII Airborne Corps.
Other key assignments include the Director of Intelligence, United States Army Joint Special Operations Command; the Director of Intelligence, United States Central Command; the Deputy Chief of Staff, Intelligence, International Security Assistance Force and Director of Intelligence, United States Forces, Afghanistan; and Commanding General, the United States Army Intelligence Center of Excellence and Fort Huachuca, AZ.
Lieutenant General Ashley has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Appalachian State University, a master’s degree in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University (formerly known as the Defense Intelligence College) and a master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College. His awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal (2OLC), Legion of Merit (1OLC), and Bronze Star Medal (2OLC). Lieutenant General Ashley has also earned the Parachutist Badge, Army Aviation Crewmember Badge, Army Staff Identification Badge, and Australian Parachutist Badge.
Lieutenant General Ashley and his wife, Barbara, have two sons – Sean, married to Lucy, and Justin.