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Deputy Commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command

Lieutenant General Stephen D. Sklenka, USMC

Lieutenant General Sklenka is from Marietta, Georgia and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in 1988 after graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science Degree in History.

His service in the Operating Forces includes: Headquarters Company, 6th Marines (March 1989-March 1990); S-4, Marine Detachment UNITAS (March 1990-November 1990); 6th Marines Regimental S-4A (November 1990-January 1992); 6th Marines S-4 (January 1992-May 1992); S-4, Company Executive Officer, Detachment S-3, Detachment Commander, and Company Commander, with 1st Landing Support Battalion (July 1992-June 1995); S-4, 7th Marines (August 1998-June 2001); Executive Officer, Combat Service Support Group-15 (June 2004-March 2005); Commanding Officer, MSSG-11/Combat Logistics Battalion-11, 11th MEU(SOC); AC/S G-3, 1st Force Service Support Group (Fwd) (February 2010-December 2010); Chief of Staff of 1st Marine Logistics Group (Fwd) and Commanding Officer, Combat Logistics Regiment-15 and the Logistics Combat Element of the ISAF MAGTF (December 2010-May 2013); Commanding General, 1st Marine Logistics Group (July 2017-July 2019).

His service outside of the Operating Forces includes: Instructor Group and as Commanding Officer of Training Support Company, Support Battalion, The Basic School (June 1996-August 1998); Current Operations Branch and then Prepositioning Head in Expeditionary Policies Branch of Plans, Policies, and Operations (PP&O), Headquarters Marine Corps (July 2002-June 2004); Materiel Division Head and Deputy J4, US Special Operations Command (June 2007-January 2010); Principal Director for South and Southeast Asia in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (September 2015–June 2017); J5, Director for Strategic Planning and Policy, United States Indo-Pacific Command (August 2019–August 2021).

His deployments include Operation JUST CAUSE, Panama; Marine Detachment UNITAS, South America; Operations DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait; Operation RESTORE HOPE, Somalia; Operation VIGILANT WARRIOR, Kuwait; Operation IRAQI FREEDOM II, Iraq; 11th MEU(SOC), Pacific and Central Commands; Operation ENDURING FREEDOM-10 and ENDURING FREEDOM-12, Afghanistan.

He has completed The Basic School, Ground Supply Officers Course, Logistics Officers Course, Amphibious Warfare School, Naval Command and Staff College, Air War College (Nonresident), and was a CMC Fellow with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. He received a Master’s Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College, and a Master’s Degree with a concentration in Unconventional Warfare from American Military University. He has also completed the Timothy T. Day Foundation Marine Corps Executive Fellowship at the Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program.

Lieutenant General Sklenka assumed the duties as Deputy Commander, United States Indo-Pacific Command on 16 August 2021.


(Updated: 01 Sept 2021)