Duane D. Thiessen (born March 11, 1951) is a retired

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank 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 battlefield, who was norma ...

in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

, and is the past commander of the

United States Marine Corps Forces Pacific The U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific (MARFORPAC) is the Marine Corps service component command of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. It is the largest field command in the Marine Corps and is headquartered at Camp H. M. Smith in Hawaii. The MARFORPAC ...

, serving from September 2, 2010, until his retirement on August 7, 2012. Lt. General Thiessen is currently serving as president and CEO of the National Naval Aviation Museum Foundation located on

Naval Air Station Pensacola Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United Sta ...

Biography

Thiessen was commissioned a second lieutenant in May 1974, after graduating from

Pittsburg State University Pittsburg State University (Pitt State or PSU) is a public university in Pittsburg, Kansas, United States. It enrolls approximately 7,400 students (6,000 undergraduates and 1,400 graduate students) and is a member of the Kansas Board of Regen ...

. Following completion of

flight training Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills. Flight training can be conducted under a str ...

, he reported to

Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point or MCAS Cherry Point (*) is a United States Marine Corps airfield located in Havelock, North Carolina, United States, in the eastern part of the state. It was built in 1941, and was commissioned in 1942 an ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, for transition training to the

AV-8B Harrier II The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) AV-8B Harrier II is a single-engine ground-attack aircraft that constitutes the second generation of the Harrier family, capable of vertical or short takeoff and landing (V/STOL). The aircraft is primaril ...

. Thiessen's initial assignment as a Harrier pilot was with

VMA-542 Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 542 (VMFA-542) is a United States Marine Corps Aviation fighter attack squadron flying the F-35B Lightning II. VMFA-542 is based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina and falls under the comma ...

, where he performed in both Operational and Maintenance billets while completing two deployments to

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

and participating in a Mediterranean deployment aboard the . In July 1982,

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Thiessen reported to

Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1 The Marine Corps Training and Education Command (TECOM) is the primary training command of the United States Marine Corps. TECOM leads the Marine Corps Training and Education continuum from individual entry-level training, professional military ...

Yuma, Arizona Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The city's population was 95,548 at the 2020 census, up from the 2010 census population of 93,064. Yuma is the principal city of the Yuma, Arizona, Metropolitan ...

, where he served as an AV-8 tactics instructor. In December 1985, Major Thiessen returned to Cherry Point and was assigned to

VMA-231 Marine Attack Squadron 231 (VMA-231) was a United States Marine Corps fixed wing attack squadron that consisted of AV-8B Harrier (V/STOL) jets. The squadron, known as the "Ace of Spades", is based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, Nor ...

as the Operations Officer, where he led a detachment of six AV-8Bs that deployed to the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

as part of the

22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit The 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (22nd MEU) is one of seven Marine expeditionary unit, such units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. It is a Marine Air Ground Task Force with a strength of about 2,200 personnel. They are ...

. Upon returning to the United States in 1988,

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

Thiessen attended the Naval Command and Staff College in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

. Following graduation he reported to

Naval Air Systems Command The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) provides materiel support for aeronaval aircraft and airborne weapon systems for the United States Navy. It is one of the Echelon II Navy systems commands (SYSCOM), and was established in 1966 as the succe ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, and served as an assistant to the AV-8B program manager. In June 1991, Lieutenant Colonel Thiessen assumed command of

VMAT-203 Marine Attack Training Squadron 203 (VMAT-203) was a squadron in the United States Marine Corps that trained naval aviators to fly the AV-8B Harrier. Also known as the Hawks, the squadron was based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point a ...

at Cherry Point. After relinquishing command, he returned to Washington, DC, to attend the

National War College In the United States, the National War College (NWC) is a school within the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National ...

. He was subsequently assigned as the Marine Requirements Officer in the

Joint Strike Fighter Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) is a development and acquisition program intended to replace a wide range of existing fighter, strike, and ground attack aircraft for the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, Australia, the Netherlan ...

Program office.

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Thiessen then served until June 1999 as the Commanding Officer of

Marine Aircraft Group 13 Marine Aircraft Group 13 is a United States Marine Corps aviation unit based at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma that is currently composed of four Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II squadrons, an unmanned aerial vehicle squadron, a maintenance and ...

in Yuma. Following command of MAG-13, Colonel Thiessen served in the Aviation Plans and Policy Branch of

Headquarters Marine Corps The Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) is a headquarters staff within the Department of the Navy which includes the offices of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps and various staff functions. The funct ...

until July 2000, when he was appointed to the position of Deputy

Assistant Secretary of the Navy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (ASN) is the title given to certain civilian senior officials in the United States Department of the Navy. From 1861 to 1954, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy was the second-highest civilian office in the Depart ...

for Expeditionary Force Programs. Colonel Thiessen was promoted to brigadier general and assumed the duties as the deputy director of operations,

National Military Command Center The National Military Command Center (NMCC) is a The Pentagon, Pentagon command and communications center for the National Command Authority (United States), National Command Authority (i.e., the President of the United States and the United Sta ...

in October 2001. He then served until May 2004 as the Deputy Naval Inspector General for Marine Corps Matters/Inspector General of the Marine Corps. Thiessen was then assigned as the Commanding General of

1st Marine Aircraft Wing The 1st Marine Aircraft Wing is an aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps that serves as the Aviation Combat Element of the III Marine Expeditionary Force. The wing is headquartered at Camp Foster on the island of Okinawa Island, Okina ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, from 3 June 2004 to 10 June 2005, followed by a two-year tour as Commander, Marine Forces Korea and assistant Chief of Staff, U/C/J-5,

United Nations Command United Nations Command (UNC or UN Command) is the multinational military force established to support the South Korea, Republic of Korea (South Korea) during and after the Korean War. It was the first attempt at collective security by the U ...

, Combined Forces Command, and the

United States Forces Korea The United States Forces Korea (USFK) is a Unified Combatant Command#Subordinate Unified Command, sub-unified command of United States Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). USFK was initially established in 1957, and e ...

. In June 2007, Major General Thiessen returned to the United States and assumed the duties of Assistant Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources (Programs) at Headquarters United States Marine Corps. Thiessen was nominated for promotion to the rank of Lieutenant General on March 13, 2008, to become the Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announced March 15, 2010 that LtGen Duane D. Thiessen has been nominated for reappointment to the rank of lieutenant general with assignment as commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific; commanding general, Fleet Marine Force Pacific; and commander, Marine Corps Bases Pacific. Lieutenant General Thiessen is married to Lynn Rodd and they have two children.

Awards

References

Official Marine Corps biography
, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Thiessen, Duane 1951 births Living people People from Marion County, Kansas Military personnel from Kansas United States Naval Aviators College of Naval Command and Staff alumni Pittsburg State University alumni Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Marine Corps generals Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal

Biography

Awards

See also

References