John R. Allen
John Rutherford Allen (born December 15, 1953) is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general, and former commander of the NATO International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces – Afghanistan (USFOR-A). On September 13, 2014, President Barack Obama appointed Allen as special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant).[1] He was succeeded in that role by Brett McGurk on October 23, 2015.[2] He is the co-author of Turning Point: Policymaking in the Era of Artificial Intelligence with Darrell M. West (Brookings Institution Press, 2020) and Future War and the Defence of Europe alongside Lieutenant General (Ret.) Ben Hodges and Professor Julian Lindley French (Oxford University Press, 2021). Allen was president of the Brookings Institution from October 2017 until his resignation on June 12, 2022.
This article is about the U.S. Marine Corps general. For the United States Air Force general, see John R. Allen Jr. For other persons, see John Allen.
John Allen
Ted Gayer (acting)
Position established
Barack Obama
Barack Obama
December 15, 1953
Fort Belvoir, Virginia, U.S.
1976–2013
International Security Assistance Force
United States Forces Afghanistan
United States Central Command (Deputy Commander)
2nd Battalion, 4th Marines
2nd Battalion, 6th Marines
The Basic School
United States Naval Academy – Commandant of Midshipmen
II Marine Expeditionary Force
Early life and education[edit]
Allen was born at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, on December 15, 1953;[3] his father, Joseph K. Allen, was a Navy veteran of World War II and the Korean War who retired as a lieutenant commander.[4][5] He attended Flint Hill School in Oakton, Virginia. He graduated with military honors from the U.S. Naval Academy with the Class of 1976, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Operations Analysis. He is a 1998 Distinguished Graduate of the National War College. He holds a Master of Arts degree in National Security Studies from Georgetown University, a Master of Science degree in Strategic Intelligence from the National Defense Intelligence College, and a Master of Science degree in National Security Strategy from the National War College of National Defense University.
FBI investigation[edit]
In June 2022, Allen's electronic data was reportedly seized in relation to potential illegal lobbying on behalf of the government of Qatar.[40] The data was obtained via a warrant that was filed in April in a Federal District Court in Central California. Federal prosecutors obtained records that they believed indicated that Allen not only secretly lobbied for Qatar but also lied to investigators about his role and attempted to withhold evidence that was sought from him via a federally issued subpoena.[41] In January 2023, the Justice Department informed Allen that federal prosecutors closed the investigation into whether he secretly lobbied for the government of Qatar and that no criminal charges would be brought against him under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, or any other law, based on, or as a result of, Allen's trip to Qatar in June 2017 or the government's investigation of those events.[42]