James Logan Jones Jr., born on December 19, 1943, in Kansas City, Missouri, to James L. Jones Sr., a military veteran, and brother to William Kenefick Jones, a Marine Corps lieutenant general, is a retired four-star general of the United States Marine Corps and former 21st National Security Advisor under President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2010. He graduated from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service with a Bachelor of Science in 1966 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps, serving in Vietnam as a rifle platoon and company commander. Over his 40-year career, he held key roles including the 32nd Commandant of the Marine Corps (1999-2003) and Commander of United States European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe (2003-2006), retiring on February 1, 2007. Post-retirement, he worked as a consultant and lobbyist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, served on the board of Invacare Corporation, and has held various advisory roles, including as a board member of the Middle East Institute.