John Allen
USMC General (Ret.), Non-Resident Distinguished Fellow at Royal United Services Institute (RUSI)
John R. Allen is a retired US Marine Corps four-star general and former commander of the NATO International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. Immediately upon his retirement, Gen Allen was the senior advisor to the Secretary of Defense on Middle East Security and led the security dialogue with Israel and the Palestinian Authority in that role. Gen Allen served as President Obama’s Special Presidential Envoy to the global coalition to counter the Islamic State. Gen. Allen served as the President of the Brookings Institution from 2017 to 2022. He is a distinguished graduate of the US Naval Academy, a permanent member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a fellow in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Gen Allen served in the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He is the co-author of Future War and the Defense of Europe (Oxford University Press, 2021). He has received multiple US awards and decorations, and those of ten other countries.
Updated: April 12, 2023
