BRIGADIER GENERAL NEIL H. TOLLEY

Commanding General, Special Operations Command, United States Forces Korea

Brigadier General Neil H. Tolley is Commanding General, Special Operations Command, United States Forces Korea. He also serves as United Nations Command Special Operations Component; and Deputy Commanding General, Combined Unconventional Warfare Task Force, Yongsan Army Garrison, South Korea. He serves as the principal special operations advisor to the Commander, United States Forces Korea, and United States adviser to Commanding General, Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command. In these roles, he directs employment of United States special operations forces and assures that the theater commander's intent is understood and implemented. General Tolley exercises operational control of United States special operations forces within Korea and integrates them into theater operations, validates United States special operations forces missions, targeting and plans, and conducts joint/combined training. He also oversees the plans, programs and execution of Major Force Program 11 funding requirements.

General Tolley's military service began in 1983 when he was commissioned as a Regular Army Second Lieutenant of Infantry graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He entered active duty at Fort Carson, Colorado with the 1-10 Infantry. In 1985, he attended the Special Force Qualification Course at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and was subsequently assigned to 3rd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group at Fort Devens, Massachusetts where he served as Detachment Commander, Company Executive officer and Battalion Adjutant. He left active duty in 1989 to pursue a civilian career. General Tolley joined the 11th Special Forces Group at Fort Dix, New Jersey briefly before transferring to the 20th Special Forces Group in Maryland. He was immediately mobilized for Operation Desert Storm. He assessed into the full time Active Guard Reserve program in 1999 with his initial assignment to the Special Operations Command South at Roosevelt, Roads Puerto Rico. His subsequent assignments took him to the Republic of South Korea assigned to the Special Operations Command, Korea and triple hatted as the National Guard Advisor, Chief of United States Forces Korea J3, and Deputy Chief of Combined Forces Command C3 Special Operations Division. Brigadier General Tolley has also been the Senior National Guard Advisor for United States Army Special Operations Command and United States Special Operations Command. He Commanded the Special Operations Command and Control Element in Djibouti, Africa; O6 joint command. In that position, he was responsible for the coordination and oversight of all special operations missions involving joint, combined, interagency, and coalition forces to enhance the readiness of selected host nation counter terrorism forces in seven countries on the Horn of Africa. He served as the subject matter expert to the Commander of the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.

EDUCATION:

1983 United States Military Academy, Bachelor of Science, West Point, New York
2004 Touro University International, Master of Science, Health Sciences, Emergency and Disaster Management, Cypress, California
2007 United States Army War College, Master of Science, Strategic Studies, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania
2007 United States Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania

ASSIGNMENTS:

1. May 1983 - November 1983, Student, Infantry Officer Basic Course, Fort Benning, Georgia
2. November 1983 - April 1985, Platoon Leader, Echo Company, 1/10 Infantry, Fort Carson, Colorado
3. April 1985 - October 1985, Executive Officer, Echo Company, 1/10 Infantry, Fort Carson, Colorado
4. October 1985 - April 1986, Student, Special Forces Qualification Course, Fort Bragg, North Carolina
5. April 1986 - August 1988, Commander, Operational Detachment Alpha, A Company, 3rd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Devens, Massachusetts
6. August 1988 - February 1989, Executive Officer, A Company, 3rd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Devens, Massachusetts
7. February 1989 - December 1989, Adjutant, 3rd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Devens, Massachusetts
8. January 1990 - June 1990, United States Army Control Group (Reinforcement)
9. June 1990 - January 1991, Commander, Operational Detachment Alpha, C Company, 1st Battalion, 11th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Dix, New Jersey
10. January 1991 - October 1996, Commander, Operational Detachment Alpha, C Company, 1st Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Towson, Maryland
11. October 1996 - December 1997, Commander, Detachment 2, Headquarters Detachment, 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Towson, Maryland
12. December 1997 - June 1999, Commander, B Company, 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Towson, Maryland
13. June 1999 - October 2001, National Guard Special Operations Forces Advisor, Special Operations Command South, Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico
14. October 2001 - May 2003, National Guard Special Operations Forces Advisor, Special Operations Command Korea and Chief, CJ3 Special Operations Division United States Forces Korea, Combined Forces Command, Yongsan, Korea
15. May 2003 - December 2003, Deputy National Guard Special Operations Forces Advisor, United States Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina
16. December 2003 - March 2007, Senior National Guard Special Operations Forces Advisor, United States Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina
17. April 2007 - March 2008, Commander, Special Operations Command and Control Element, Djibouti, Horn of Africa
18. April 2008 - September 2010, Senior National Guard Special Operations Forces Advisor, United States Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida
19. September 2010 - October 2010, National Guard Integrator, United States Northern Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
20. October 2010 - Present, Commanding General, Special Operations Command, United States Forces Korea, Yongsan, Korea

AWARDS AND DECORATIONS:

Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal (with 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster)
Meritorious Service Medal (with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
Air Medal
Army Commendation Medal (with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
Joint Service Achievement Medal (with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
Army Achievement Medal (with 4 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal (with 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster)
National Defense Service Medal (with 1 Bronze Service Star)
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Korea Defense Service Ribbon
Armed Forces Reserve Medal (with M Device)
Army Service Ribbon
Overseas Service Ribbon (with Numeral 2)
Army Reserve Component Overseas Training Ribbon (with Numeral 8)
Joint Meritorious Unit Award (with 3 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
Ranger Tab
Special Forces Tab
Master Parachutist Badge
Expert Infantryman's Badge
Belgian Parachutist Badge
Italian Parachutist Badge
Canadian Parachutist Badge
Argentinean Parachutist Badge
Brazilian Parachutist Badge
Ecuadorian Parachutist Badge
Paraguayan Parachutist Badge
Korean Master Parachutist Badge
German Parachutist Badge (Bronze)
Irish Parachutist Badge

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION:

Second Lieutenant, RA, 25 May 1983
First Lieutenant, RA, 25 May 1984
Captain, RA, 1 May 1987
Captain, USAR, 1 January 1990
Captain, ARNGUS, 9 January 1991
Major, ARNGUS, 1 June 1997
Lieutenant Colonel, ARNGUS, 20 September 2001
Colonel, ARNGUS, 7 March 2006
Brigadier General (LINE), ARNG, 22 December 2010

(Current as of March 2011)