Richard Mills

Last U.S. Marine tank unit heading home from Afghanistan

By Dan Lamothe on September 5, 2013 Afghanistan, Infantry, Kajaki, Musa Qala, Sangin

The Marine Corps made national headlines in fall 2010 when it sent tanks to northern Helmand province to bolster firepower there. It was a first for the U.S. in the war, which was nine years old at the time. Nearly three years later, the tanks are coming home. Delta Company, 2nd Tank Battalion, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., will redeploy to the U.S. soon, and will not be replaced by a similar unit, said 1st Lt. Philip Kulczewski, a Marine spokesman in Afghanistan. It’s one of the most tangible indications recently that that the U.S. drawdown in forces in Afghanistan…

How long will Regional Command-Southwest in Afghanistan survive?

By Dan Lamothe on August 14, 2013 Afghanistan, General officers, I MEF, III MEF, Infantry

Month by month, it increasingly looks like it could be a matter of time before the two-star Marine headquarters in southwestern Afghanistan ceases to exist. Regional Command-Southwest, as it is known, was established in 2010 as the U.S. rapidly expanded military operations in Afghanistan, surging thousands of troops there. The Marine Corps was among the first involved in that surge, seeing its footprint grow in Helmand province from about 11,000 in 2009 to 20,000 the following summer. Maj. Gen. Richard Mills took command that spring of the newly formed RC-Southwest, which split off from the neighboring two star-headquarters in Kandahar…

Could Gen. Jim Amos step down as commandant to head NATO?

By Dan Lamothe on February 20, 2013 General officers, The CMC, Washington

The announcement yesterday that Marine Gen. John Allen will retire instead of becoming the supreme allied commander of NATO immediately raises a question: Who will head to Brussels instead? Foreign Policy reported on its E-Ring blog that names being floated for the NATO job include Marine Gen. Gen. Jim Amos, commandant of the Marine Corps. The Daily Beast had a similar report last week, before Allen’s decision to retire was announced. Could Amos really move on, though? A shift like that would be a shock in the Corps, which Amos has led since October 2010 through a time filled with…

Maj. Gen. Ronald Bailey: The next Marine commander in Afghanistan?

By Dan Lamothe on July 6, 2011 Afghanistan, General officers, Leadership, Recruiting

With two leadership moves, it’s become apparent who could lead Marine forces in Afghanistan next summer. The Marine Corps has shifted Maj. Gen. Ronald Bailey from Recruiting Command, out of Quantico, Va., to 1st Marine Division, out of Camp Pendleton, Calif. In his place at Quantico, Brig. Gen. Joseph Osterman took over this week. If the Corps keeps a similar footprint in Afghanistan next year, that means Bailey could lead Marine forces in Afghanistan, assuming I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) replaces II MEF (Fwd.), commanded by Maj. Gen. John Toolan, on a typical schedule next spring. Toolan took over for…

Maj. Gen. John Toolan loves him some CFT

By Dan Lamothe on April 1, 2011 Afghanistan, Camp Lejeune, Combat Fitness Test, Fitness, General officers, Leadership

As outlined earlier this week, Marines in Afghanistan have a new commander, Maj. Gen. John Toolan. He has taken command from Maj. Gen. Richard Mills, who led troops in Regional Command-Southwest for nearly a year. Marine Corps Times news editor Tony Lombardo pointed out this photo to me earlier this week. It shows Toolan during a Combat Fitness Test carrying Sgt. Michael Taggart, the noncommissioned officer in charge of II Marine Expeditionary Force’s special security office. It was taken Dec. 10 at Camp Lejeune, N.C., before II MEF (Forward) Marines deployed to Afghanistan’s Helmand province. Toolan has been in the…

Meet Maj. Gen. John Toolan, your new Afghanistan commander

By Dan Lamothe on March 28, 2011 Afghanistan, General officers, Infantry, Leadership

As Marine Corps Times forecasted in a story Saturday morning, Maj. Gen. John Toolan has taken over as commander of II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) and Regional Command-Southwest. The transfer of authority from Maj. Gen. Richard Mills and I MEF (Fwd.) puts Toolan in charge of more than 20,000 Marines, primarily in volatile Helmand province. I had the opportunity to interview Mills last week by telephone before he stepped down as commander. He was candid in offering perspective on where things have improved, but also warned that Marines will face another push from the insurgency this spring. “He defended all…

MEU in Afghanistan will be 'back home on time,' general says

By Dan Lamothe on March 24, 2011 Afghanistan, Infantry, MEU operations, Sangin

Maj. Gen. Richard Mills, commander of Marine forces in Afghanistan, took 30 minutes out of his busy schedule yesterday morning to discuss the state of his area of operations and the progress Marines have made there. Much of it will appear in a story in the print edition of Marine Corps Times next week, but I wanted to post one piece of news now: Marines who split off the amphibious assault ship Kearsarge in January to deploy to Afghanistan won’t likely be there much longer. In an exclusive phone interview, Mills said BLT 3/8 is “going to keep on their…

General: Expansion of Marine territory in Afghanistan likely

By Dan Lamothe on February 14, 2011 Afghanistan, Infantry, Kajaki, MEU operations, Sangin

Is the time coming for Marines in Afghanistan to spread out and fight insurgents in more provinces? Maj. Gen. Richard Mills, commander of Marine forces in Afghanistan, made that case in interviews over the weekend, telling reporters that as the Corps continues to push insurgents out of population centers in Helmand province, they may need to expand where they are operating to places ranging from the Iranian border to neighboring Uruzgan province. He added that a small number of forces under his command Marines already are operating in neighboring Kandahar province, where Army forces have been locked into a struggle with…

2-star general: Taliban leader left Afghanistan 'dressed as a woman'

By Dan Lamothe on December 7, 2010 Afghanistan, Camp Leatherneck, General officers, Infantry

Never let it be said that the Marine Corps likes missing handing out a good slap in the face for their enemies. During a press conference conducted today from Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, Maj. Gen. Richard Mills shared a fun little anecdote about a senior Taliban leader Marine forces have been tracking. Speaking about the plans his forces have this winter, he said the Marines will put on a “full-court press… at a time that has traditionally been a little slower” in terms of combat operations. “We can take advantage of that weakness as his numbers decline and his leadership goes…

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