Retired four-star general, Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient and national security analyst

General Jack Keane is widely recognized as one of our nation’s foremost authorities on foreign policy and national security. A distinguished military leader, accomplished strategist, and trusted voice on matters of global defense, he has devoted his life to the service of the United States and to the advancement of American security interests at home and abroad.

General Keane is Chairman of the Institute for the Study of War and served as a longtime member of the Secretary of Defense Policy Board, advising four Secretaries of Defense over the course of his career. He has also been appointed by Congress an unprecedented three times on the Congressional Commission on the National Defense Strategy, including the 2018, 2022, and 2026 commissions, underscoring the continued confidence placed in his judgment and experience.

A four-star general, General Keane completed 37 years of public service in December 2003, culminating in his appointment as Acting Chief of Staff and Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army. In that role, he served as the Army’s chief operating officer, responsible for the leadership of 1.5 million soldiers and civilians across 120 countries and oversight of a $110 billion annual operating budget.

General Keane was in the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, and played a significant role in supporting the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. During the 9/11 wars General Keane conducted frequent trips to Iraq and Afghanistan on behalf of senior military and civilian defense officials. In 2006, he was invited to the Oval Office by President George W. Bush to discuss the war in Iraq, where he presented a strategic concept that became known as the troop surge and helped reshape American military strategy.

A career infantry paratrooper and combat veteran of the Vietnam War, General Keane commanded the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and the XVIII Airborne Corps, among the most distinguished formations in the United States Army. He was decorated for valor and distinguished throughout his career for leadership, courage, and excellence in command.

General Keane was commissioned through Army ROTC as a Distinguished Military Graduate at Fordham University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. He later received a Master of Arts degree from Western Kentucky University and is a graduate of the Army War College and the Army Command and General Staff College.

General Keane has received numerous awards reflecting his decades of distinguished public service to include over thirty civilian honors and awards. Among these, he was the first military leader to receive the Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Award, presented in 2018 at The Reagan Library. In 2020, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House, the nation’s highest civilian honor, in recognition of his extraordinary lifetime service to the nation. General Keane’s numerous military service medals and citations include two Defense and two Army Distinguished Service Medals, five Legions of Merit, the Silver Star, Bronze Star, three Vietnam Service medals, Combat Infantryman Badge, Air Assault Badge, Master Parachutist Badge and Ranger Tab, to list a few.

Born and raised in New York, General Keane is the son of an immigrant mother and a World War II Marine father. General Keane was married to the late Theresa Doyle for fifty-one years and has two sons, Daniel, who served eight years in the US Air Force and Matthew, who is deceased. General Keane has been married to Angela McGlowan since 2019. He continues to be regarded as one of America’s most respected and influential national security leaders.