General Martin E. Dempsey
General Martin E. Dempsey served as the 18th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this capacity, he served as the principal military adviser to the President, the secretary of defense and the National Security Council. By law, he served as the nation’s highest-ranking military officer. Prior to becoming chairman, the general served as the Army’s 37th chief of staff.
Past assignments have taken him and his family across the globe during both peace and war from platoon leader to combatant commander. He is a 1974 graduate of the United States Military Academy and a career armor officer.
As a company grade officer, he served with the 2nd Cavalry in the United States Army Europe and with the 10th Cavalry at Fort Carson. Following troop command, he earned his Master of Arts degree in English from Duke University and was assigned to the English department at West Point. In 1991, Dempsey deployed with the Third Armored Division in support of Operation Desert Storm. Following Desert Storm, he commanded 4th Battalion 67th Armor (Bandits) in Germany for two years and then departed to become armor branch chief in U.S. Army Personnel Command. From 1996 to 1998, he served as the 67th colonel of the Third Armored Cavalry Regiment. Following this assignment as the Army’s “senior scout,” he served on the Joint Staff as an assistant deputy director in J-5 and as special assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. From September 2001 to June 2003, Dempsey served in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia training and advising the Saudi Arabian National Guard. In June 2003, Dempsey took command of the 1st Armored Division in Baghdad, Iraq. After 14 months in Iraq, Dempsey redeployed the division to Germany and completed his command tour in July 2005. He then returned to Iraq for two years in August 2005 to train and equip the Iraqi security forces as commanding general of MNSTC-I. From August 2007 through October 2008, Dempsey served as the deputy commander and then acting commander of U.S. Central Command. Before becoming chief of staff of the Army, he commanded U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command from December 2008 to March 2011.
Dempsey’s awards and decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Distinguished Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Bronze Star with “V” Device and Oak Leaf Cluster, the Combat Action Badge and the Parachutist Badge. In addition to his master’s degree in English, he holds master’s degrees in Military Art and in National Security Studies.
Currently, Dempsey brings his experience to the prestigious Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and Sanford School of Public Policy, where he teaches courses on American civil-military relations, management and leadership, and has been named a 2016 David Rubenstein Fellow.
Additionally, he serves as a special advisor to the commissioner of the NBA, Adam Silver, and as chairman of the Junior NBA Leadership Council.
The people behind the people behind the badge.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Foundation was chartered in 2004. The Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which provides support for innovative programs and initiatives that are not presently funded by the police department’s budget. The support of the CMPF helps to ensure a safer community.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Foundation Initiatives
- Mobile Firearms Training Simulator (FATS ® L7)
- Body Worn Cameras
- Thermal Imaging Devices
- DNA Equipment for Crime Lab
- Mobile Print Scanners
- Major Case Crime Scene Truck
- Fire Extinguishers for every Police vehicle
- Electronic Monitoring of Pre-Trial release Chronic Offenders
- Cold Case DNA Crime Lab
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Foundation Board Members
Brad Muller (chair), Will Whitley (vice-chair), Gary Rose (treasurer), Hugh Allen, Ken Beuley, Tom Bowman, Jack Burke, Bobby Chesney, Derek Copeland, Greg Denels, Lance Emory, Ken Gill, Frank Golden, Chuck Hood, Jake Jacobson, DelMar Laury, Kim Lloyd, Glen Mowery, Stoney Sellars