LTG. Mick Bednarek, USA (ret.)

Lieutenant General Mick Bednarek retired in 2015 after nearly 40 years of military service. He most recently served 26 months as the Senior Defense Official in Iraq and Chief of the Office of Security Cooperation in Baghdad. In this capacity he coordinated Security Cooperation and Security Assistance activities to strengthen the strategic partnership and promote a unified, democratic, stable, self-reliant, and regionally integrated Iraq.

His military education includes Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, the U.S. Army War College, and multiple senior level executive development courses in strategic planning, personnel management, and organizational design.

General Bednarek has served in a wide variety of senior command and staff positions in the United States, Middle East, Europe, and the Pacific. He has commanded at every echelon, from company to Army level, culminating in command of First United States Army, responsible for the training and readiness of our Nations Guard and Reserve Forces for worldwide deployment.

The past 26 months in Iraq saw the fragile stability of institutional security, a democratic national election, the invasion of ISIL and collapse of the Iraqi Security Forces, the transition of government, and the initiation of the Combined Joint Task Force in support of the global coalition for the ongoing warfight.

General Bednarek is currently engaged in consulting for multiple organizations ranging from foreign policy think tanks to defense contracting. He continues to provide advice and senior mentorship / counsel for a wide range of Joint Force readiness activities.

Lieutenant General Bednarek’s awards and decorations include two Defense Superior Service Medals, six awards of the Legion of Merit, the Department of State Meritorious Honor Award, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, six awards of the Meritorious Service Medal, and multiple other individual and unit level awards.

He is married to the former Holly Meyer, and they have three daughters, one son, and one daughter-in-law. They currently reside in Arlington Virginia.