Major General John R. Hawkins III, Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for
Personnel, Office, Deputy Chief of Staff (G-1) (IMA ). Currently he is
responsible for overarching guidance and execution of Human Resources and
Personnel Doctrine, Policy, Programs and Operations for Headquarters Department
of the Army, and serves as the Senior Advisor to the Army Diversity Office. He
has over 32 years of experience in civilian and military human resources and
personnel administration to include labor management relations, labor law,
counseling, staffing and equal employment opportunity. In one of his most recent assignments he served as the Deputy Chief Public Affairs, Headquarters Department of the Army and he was deployed under “Operation Enduring Freedom” in Pakistan and Afghanistan as the Director of the Coalition Information Service (CIS), reporting directly to the White House and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. While deployed, he was responsible for putting down the Al Qaeda and Taliban Disinformation Campaign and ensuring the immediate release of Coalition News. In his charge were US Military, State Department, White House Personnel, and Coalition Country Civilian. During Iraqi Freedom he provided overarching guidance for the Army’s Embedded Media Campaign.
General Hawkins has over 30 years of commissioned service with over 19 years of active duty. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1971 through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at Howard University. His military assignments include Commander 407th PSC, Assistant Professor of Military Science, Command and Staff in Counter Intelligence, Director of Personnel, Equal Opportunity and Equal Employment Opportunity, Public Affairs and Congressional Affairs.
In his civilian capacity he is a Senior Associate Legislative Counsel for the PMA Group, a Government Relations and Legislative Counsel Firm in Washington, DC. He also served as the Executive Vice President of Cohn and Wolfe, an International Public Relation Firm.
He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Marketing from Howard University, and he earned a Masters of Public Administration in American Public Policy and Governmental Management from The American University and a Juris Doctor Degree from The American University Law School with study in International Law at the University of London Law faculty in London, England. He is a Published Graduate of the National Security Fellowship Program at the JFK School of Government at Harvard University. His military education also includes Command and General Staff College and the Army War College National Security Fellowship Program.
His awards include the Legion of Merit with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Army Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, The Afghanistan campaign Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with hour glass and the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of the Army Staff Badges.
Major General Hawkins or “Hawk’ as he is called on and off Capitol Hill enjoys mentoring youth. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, 100 Black Men, The Rocks and the Montgomery County Gentlemen.
