Austin S. Miller
Miller in 2018
Nickname(s)"Scott"
Born (1961-05-15) 15 May 1961 (age 62)
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of service1983–2021
RankGeneral
Commands heldResolute Support Mission, U.S. Forces in Afghanistan
Joint Special Operations Command
United States Army Maneuver Center of Excellence
Special Operations Joint Task Force – Afghanistan
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment - Delta
Battles/warsOperation Gothic Serpent Iraq War
War in Afghanistan
AwardsDefense Distinguished Service Medal
Army Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal (2)
Legion of Merit
Alma materUnited States Military Academy
RelationsAustin Miller (only child)

Austin Scott Miller (born 15 May 1961) is a retired four-star general in the United States Army and former Delta Force commander who served as the final commander of NATO's Resolute Support Mission and United States Forces – Afghanistan from 2 September 2018[1] to 12 July 2021.[2] He previously served as the commander of Joint Special Operations Command from 30 March 2016 to August 2018.[3] He participated in numerous combat operations, such as the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993, and, since 2001, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He retired from the Army in December after relinquishing command in July 2021.[4] Miller currently serves on the board of advisors for Striveworks[5] and the board of directors for Workhorse.[6]

Early life and education

Miller was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on 15 May 1961.[7] He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1983 and was commissioned as an infantry officer in the United States Army.

Military career

General Austin S. Miller

Miller was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1983 after graduation from United States Military Academy at West Point. After completing Ranger School, he was assigned a platoon in 3rd Battalion, 325th Infantry (Airborne), 82nd Airborne Division. Afterward, he was a platoon leader with A Company, 2nd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment from January 1986 to May 1987.[8] He completed Infantry Officer Advanced Course in June 1989. He was assigned to South Korea as a Company Commander with 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry (Mechanized), 2nd Infantry Division, Eighth United States Army. Later, he was an instructor at the Special Operations Division School of the Americas at Fort Benning, Georgia from April 1991 to April 1992.

In 1992, Miller completed a specialized selection course and operator training course for assignment to 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment – Delta (1st SFOD-D), or Delta Force at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he held numerous leadership positions including squadron operations officer, troop commander, operational support troop commander, selection and training commander, A Squadron commander, as well as deputy commander and unit commanding officer from 2005 to 2007.[9]

He participated in numerous combat operations during Operation Gothic Serpent in Somalia, Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. In October 1993, Miller was the ground force commander during the Battle of Mogadishu while Lieutenant Colonel Gary L. Harrell held operational command of C Squadron, 1st SFOD-D. Miller graduated from United States Army Command and General Staff College in June 1997. He is a graduate of the United States Marine Corps War College, 2003 and Joint and Combined Warfighting School.

As a colonel, Miller received an assignment as director of the Interagency Task Force, United States Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida from August 2007 to June 2008. He was assigned Deputy Director for Special Operations, J-37, The Joint Staff, Washington, D.C. till 2009. From September 2011 through August 2012, Miller was special assistant to the Director of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization in Arlington, Virginia.

He was a special assistant to the deputy commanding general, United States Special Operations Command in Washington D.C. from August 2012 through June 2013. From June 2013 to June 2014, Miller was commanding general of the Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command in Afghanistan, or CFSOCC-A, responsible for employment and coordination of special operations forces and assets to achieve NATO and US military objectives. In 2014, he became commanding general of the United States Army Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning.[10] From 2016 to 2018, Miller served as the commanding general of the Joint Special Operations Command.[11]

Commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan

General Miller (center) visiting Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan on 23 December 2018
Gen. Miller alongside Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Afghanistan, March 2021.[12]

In 2018, he assumed command of United States Forces — Afghanistan and NATO's Resolute Support mission, after a successful June 2018 visit to the Senate Armed Services Committee.[13]

On 18 October 2018, Miller was in the room at the governor's compound in southern Kandahar when a Taliban gunman shot provincial police chief Abdul Raziq. Miller was not harmed,[14][15] but drew his sidearm during the shooting, waited until the wounded were attended, and flew out with the casualties afterwards[16] which included Brigadier General Jeffrey Smiley,[17] who was wounded in the attack.[18]

On 1 July 2021, Miller gave an exclusive on-camera interview to ABC, with a helicopter flyover of the Bagram Air Base to emphasize its emptiness.[19]

Miller officially furled the mission flag and marked the symbolic end to Operation Resolute Support on 12 July 2021.[20][21] After Bagram, the largest U.S. base in Afghanistan, was vacated, parts of the base were looted as the Americans did not inform the Afghani district administrator Darwaish Raufi of their departure.[22][23] Miller was quoted as saying, "A civil war is certainly a path that can be visualized if this continues on the trajectory it's on right now, that should be of concern to the world."[22][20][24] In a short farewell ceremony attended by many senior Afghan officials, Miller pledged that “the people of Afghanistan will be in my heart, and on my mind, for the rest of my life.” On 14 July 2021, he met with President Joe Biden who thanked him for his service and his “extraordinary service in Afghanistan.”[25]

Miller testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on 15 September 2021 on the Biden administration's decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, asserting that he had recommended that not all U.S. forces be immediately withdrawn.[26]

His retirement in the grade of general was officially approved by Congress on 8 December 2021.[27]

Scams using Miller's name and image

Miller's name and image are frequently used to set up fake social media accounts to defraud people, especially elderly women in so-called "romance scams." U.S. Forces-Afghanistan has reported almost 900 fake accounts posing as Miller on sites like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram just during the first few months of 2021.[28] The accounts are largely used to trick people out of money and items like gift cards and cellphones, USFOR-A warned.[29] “Gen. Miller does NOT use public accounts on social media. Scammers are using his likeness & photos,” USFOR-A spokesman Col. Sonny Leggett said in a tweet.[29] Anyone wishing to report a fake Miller account should contact USFOR-A.[28]

Dates of rank

Rank Date
Second lieutenant 25 May 1983
First lieutenant 24 November 1984
Captain 1 May 1987
Major 1 December 1994
Lieutenant colonel 1 June 1999
Colonel 1 May 2004
Brigadier general 15 June 2009[30]
Major general 2 June 2012[30]
Lieutenant general 24 March 2016[30]
General 2 September 2018[30]

Awards and decorations

Combat Infantryman Badge with Star (denoting 2nd award)
 Master Parachutist Badge
Ranger tab
Military Free Fall Parachutist Badge
Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge
Special Operations Joint Task Force – Afghanistan Combat Service Identification Badge
325th Infantry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia
16 Overseas Service Bars
Defense Distinguished Service Medal
Army Distinguished Service Medal
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Defense Superior Service Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Purple Heart with oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Army Achievement Medal
Army Presidential Unit Citation
Valorous Unit Award
Army Superior Unit Award
Bronze star
National Defense Service Medal with one bronze service star
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Bronze star
Afghanistan Campaign Medal (with campaign star)
Iraq Campaign Medal (with three campaign stars)
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Korea Defense Service Medal
Army Service Ribbon
Army Overseas Service Ribbon with bronze award numeral 2
NATO Medal for service with ISAF

References

  1. ^ Garamone, Jim (2 September 2018). "Miller Takes Over NATO, U.S. Commands in Afghanistan". Defense.gov. Archived from the original on 3 September 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  2. ^ Starr, Barbara; Atwood, Kylie; Sidhu, Sandi; Gaouette, Nicole (12 July 2021). "Top US general in Afghanistan steps down as US military withdrawal from the country nears completion". CNN. Archived from the original on 12 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  3. ^ "Leadership in the Current Operating Environment: JSOC Commander Lt. Gen. Austin Miller". Modern War Institute. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  4. ^ Lamothe, Dan (7 June 2021). "He spent years at war in Afghanistan. Now he commands the U.S. withdrawal". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  5. ^ Shank, Tracy (2 March 2022). "Former JSOC Commander General Miller Joins Striveworks Board of Advisors". PN Newswire. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  6. ^ "Workhorse Stockholders Appoint Scott Miller to Board of Directors". Workhorse. 3 May 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  7. ^ "Register of Graduates and Former Cadets, United States Military Academy". 22 October 1989. Retrieved 22 October 2018 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ Gal Perl Finkel, A NEW STRATEGY AGAINST ISIS, The Jerusalem Post, March 7, 2017.
  9. ^ "Biographical Data Book, Class 2010-2, 25 Jan – 5 Mar 2010, National Defense University". Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  10. ^ "New Benning commander named to succeed Maj. Gen. H.R. McMaster". Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  11. ^ "This Army general is likely to lead the shadowy Joint Special Operations Command". The Washington Post. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  12. ^ "Gen. Scott Miller Carries Modified, Compensated Glock in Afghanistan – Tactical Life Gun Magazine: Gun News and Gun Reviews". 16 January 2024.
  13. ^ "Advance Policy Questions for Lieutenant General Austin Miller, U.S. Army Nominee for Commander, Resolute Support Mission and Commander, United States Forces-Afghanistan" (PDF). Senate Armed Services Committee. 19 June 2018.
  14. ^ Shah, Taimoor; Mashal, Mujib (19 October 2018). "Afghanistan Delays Election in Province as Key Security Leader Is Buried". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  15. ^ Salahuddin, Sayed; Constable, Pamela (18 October 2018). "U.S.I Austin commander in Afghanistan I survives deadly attack at the governor's compound that kills top Afghan police general". The Washington Post.
  16. ^ Starr, Barbara (19 October 2018). "US commander drew firearm in Kandahar attack". CNN.
  17. ^ Browne, Ryan (21 October 2018). "US brigadier general wounded Thursday in Afghanistan attack". CNN. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  18. ^ "Here's the Real Story Behind the Top General in Afghanistan's .45 Pistol". 14 June 2019.
  19. ^ "General Austin Scott Miller Give Exclusive Looks of the Last US Army Withdrawal at Bagram Air Base". YouTube.
  20. ^ a b Kube, Kourtney (12 July 2021). "Commander of U.S., NATO forces in Afghanistan is stepping down". NBC News. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  21. ^ Lamothe, Dan (7 June 2021). "He spent years at war in Afghanistan. Now he commands the U.S. withdrawal". The Washington Post.
  22. ^ a b "Almost as soon as the US military left its biggest airbase in Afghanistan, looters rolled in". MSN.
  23. ^ "U.S. Withdraws from largest airbase in Afghanistan". NBC News. 2 July 2021.
  24. ^ "U.S. Forces Have Left Afghanistan's Bagram Airfield as 20-Year War Winds Down". NPR. 2 July 2021.
  25. ^ Conradis, Brandon (14 July 2021). "Biden meets with general who stepped down as commander in Afghanistan". The Hill.
  26. ^ Connor O'Brian (28 Sep 2021) Milley and Austin head for Capitol Hill buzz saw
  27. ^ "EC2889 — House Communication, 117th Congress (2021-2022)". U.S. Congress. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  28. ^ a b "Military warns social media users of scammers pretending to be US commander in Afghanistan". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  29. ^ a b Twitter https://twitter.com/usfor_a/status/1371851391493345290. Retrieved 4 August 2022. ((cite web)): Missing or empty |title= (help)
  30. ^ a b c d "General Austin S. Miller (USA)". U.S. Army General Officer Management Office. 13 June 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
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Military offices Preceded byRaymond A. Thomas Commander, Special Operations Joint Task Force-Afghanistan 2013–2014 Succeeded byEdward M. Reeder Jr. Preceded byH.R. McMaster Commanding General, United States Army Maneuver Center of Excellence 2014-2016 Succeeded byEric J. Wesley Preceded byRaymond A. Thomas Commander, Joint Special Operations Command 2016–2018 Succeeded byScott A. Howell Preceded byJohn W. Nicholson Jr. Commander, NATO Resolute Support Mission 2018–2021 Command disestablished Commander, United States Forces Afghanistan 2018–2021 Succeeded byPeter G. Vaselyas Commander, U.S. Forces Afghanistan (Forward)
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