Michael Elliott Langley (born ) is a

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 ...

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

who has served as the commander of the United States Africa Command since 9 August 2022. He most recently served as commander of

United States Marine Corps Forces Command The Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command (COMMARFORCOM), headquartered at the Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads in Norfolk, Virginia, commands service retained-operating forces; executes force sourcing and synchronization to affect for ...

, United States Marine Corps Forces Northern Command, and

Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic The Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic (FMFLANT) is an American maritime landing force that is spread across the Atlantic Ocean. It is headquartered at Naval Station Norfolk and directs and commands all the subordinate elements of the Navy Expedit ...

from November 2021 to August 2022. He also served as deputy commander of

and before that as commander of

United States Marine Forces Europe and Africa United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

. Langley is the first black four-star general in the

, having been promoted to that rank on 6 August 2022.

Early life and education

A native of

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

, Langley graduated from the

University of Texas at Arlington The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA or UT Arlington) is a public research university in Arlington, Texas, United States. It is the second oldest university in the University of Texas System and was founded in 1895. It was in the Texas A& ...

, where he majored in information systems analysis. Langley's father was a

master sergeant A master sergeant is the military rank for a senior non-commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries. Israel Defense Forces The (abbreviated "", master sergeant) is a non-commissioned officer () rank in the Israel Defense Force ...

in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

. When his father retired from the military in the early 1970s, the family moved to a civilian neighborhood in Texas. His father, Willie C. Langley, retired when he was told he would be deployed overseas again, separating him from his children. He was the primary caregiver for his children after their mother's death.

Military career

While attending college, Langley entered the Platoon Leaders Course (PLC) program in 1983, and was commissioned as an

Artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

Officer in 1985 through Officer Candidates School. He commanded at every level from platoon to regiment – including Battery K, 5th Battalion, 11th Marines in support of Operation Wildfire in Western United States; battalion and regimental commands in 12th Marines forward deployed in Okinawa, Japan; and both the 201st Regional Corps Advisory Command-Central and Regional Support Command – Southwest in support of

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...

in Afghanistan. As a General Officer, Langley's command assignments include Deputy Commanding General,

II Marine Expeditionary Force The II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF) is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force consisting of ground, air and logistics forces capable of projecting offensive combat power ashore while sustaining itself in combat without external assistance for a ...

(MEF) and Commanding General,

2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade The 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade is a brigade of the United States Marine Corps. It is part of II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF). It advertises itself as a "middleweight" crises response force of choice in the United States European Comma ...

; Commander, Marine Forces Europe and Africa; and Deputy Commanding General,

and Deputy Commander, Marine Forces Command and Marine Forces Northern Command. Langley holds a master's degree in national security strategic studies from the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associa ...

and a master's degree in strategic studies from the

United States Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army staff college in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, with a Carlisle postal address, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instru ...

Four-star general

In June 2022, Langley was nominated for promotion to general and assignment as commander of

United States Africa Command The United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM, U.S. AFRICOM, and AFRICOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense, headquartered at Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany. It is responsible for ...

. The nomination was confirmed by the Senate in August 2022, making him the first black four-star general in the 246-year history of the Marine Corps.

Awards and decorations

References

, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Langley, Michael E. 1960s births Living people Naval War College alumni Military personnel from Shreveport, Louisiana Place of birth missing (living people) Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army War College alumni United States Marine Corps generals University of Texas at Arlington alumni