Gary Patton MG (Ret), USA

MG Gary Patton, U.S. Army (Ret.) is Vice President, Veterans and Military Affairs for CACI International Inc, an international provider of expertise and technology serving enterprise and mission defense, intelligence, and federal civilian government customers.

MG Patton retired from the U.S. Army at the rank of Major General in September 2014, following a 35-year military career. He joined CACI in August 2016, leading the company’s veteran-related talent acquisition, employee relations, and community outreach programs.
Prior to his Army retirement, MG Patton served in two key senior executive positions on the staff of the Secretary of Defense. As Director for the Department of Defense (DoD) Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO), he served as the DoD’s single point of accountability and oversight for sexual assault policy and programs. As Principal Director for Military Personnel Policy, Mr. Patton was responsible for overseeing the implementation of DoD’s repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, as well as the development and implementation of DoD policy on recruiting, compensation, training, diversity, and employee relations for two million active duty service members.
MG Patton’s military career as an infantry officer included command at multiple levels and 45 months of combat duty in Operations Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Enduring Freedom (OEF), highlighted by several command and senior-level staff assignments. He was Deputy Commanding General for the NATO Training Mission in Kabul, Afghanistan, with the responsibility for training, manning, and equipping the Afghan National Army during a critical growth period of OEF. Mr. Patton also was Senior Advisor to the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Pentagon, Washington, D.C., with the responsibility as the J1, Director for Manpower and Personnel for global force management responsive to the nation’s war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. He served as Commander, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Korea, and later in Ramadi, Iraq, during Operation Iraqi Freedom, where his brigade played a key role in the Battle of Fallujah and the first Iraqi democratic elections in 2004-2005. Mr. Patton was also Chief of Staff, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, HI, and later in Tikrit, Iraq, where the division task force played a key role in the 2006-2007 U.S. troop surge of OIF.

A 1979 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with a Bachelor of Science Degree, he also holds a Master of Science Degree in Journalism from the University of Kansas and a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.
His awards, decorations, and badges include the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Legion of Merit (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Bronze Star Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Purple Heart, Ranger Tab, Combat Infantryman Badge, Air Assault Badge, and Master Parachutist Badge.