In Memoriam: Maj. Gen. Gary W. Johnston

Photo By Amy Stork | Maj. Gen. Gary Johnston, Comanding General, US Army Intelligence and Security Command  

FORT HUACHUCA, AZ, UNITED STATES

02.22.2022

Courtesy Story

U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence

By Michael E. Bigelow, INSCOM Command Historian

Born in Russellville, Arkansas, Gary Johnston graduated from Arkansas Tech University in 1987 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in Military Intelligence. Over the next thirty-four years, his service spanned the tactical, operational, and strategy levels. This service took him to Germany, Hawaii, and especially Afghanistan. He held the key positions of G-2, XVIII Airborne Corps (2012-2015); J-2, U.S. Special Operations Command (2016-2017); and J-2, U.S. Forces—Afghanistan (2017-2018). Moreover, he commanded at every level from company to two-star command. From June 2018 to July 2021, he commanded U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM).

General Johnston’s career was irrevocably linked to American involvement in Southwest Asia. Early in his career, he served in Operation DESERT STORM as a squadron intelligence officer in the 3d Armored Cavalry (1990-1991). Then, in the thirteen years from 2005-2018, he served four tours in Afghanistan. He commanded both a battalion and a brigade during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. In 2005-2006, he commanded the 165th MI Battalion as part of Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF) 76; in 2011-2012, he commanded the 504th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade in CJTF 82. Eighteen months later, he served as the deputy J-2 for the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command in Afghanistan (2014). Finally, in 2017-2018, he was dual-hatted as the J-2 for U.S. Forces in Afghanistan and the Deputy Chief of Staff, Intelligence for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Resolute Support Mission.

The apogee of General Johnston’s career was his three-year tenure as the INSCOM commander. He strongly believed that his command must operate as a global enterprise. To achieve peak efficiency, he sought to vertically connect INSCOM to the tactical level while horizontally connecting across the operational and strategic echelons. The intent was to bring harmony between the echelons so that “everybody was moving in the same direction.” For Johnston, that movement started with his command.

Despite the limitations imposed by the COVID pandemic, Johnston set the foundations for two important initiatives for Army Intelligence: establishment of the Army Counterintelligence Command and activation of an MI group for Army Cyber Command. In 2022, both organizations are reaching fruition. Johnston also began to shape the command to meet the requirements of Multi-Domain Operations.

Throughout his tenure, Johnston wanted “to bring people to the table to cooperate and collaborate.” He instituted a series of daily, weekly, and monthly briefings to establish a common situational awareness between operators, planners, and leaders. Moreover, he asserted that the command’s priority was to “connect and deliver the enterprise.” This, he believed, became a meaningful way to plug all of INSCOM’s soldiers and civilians into the larger intelligence mission on a daily basis.

General Johnston relinquished command in July 2021 and officially retired in October 2021.

• Date Taken: 02.22.2022
• Date Posted: 02.22.2022 11:02
• Story ID: 415035
• Location: FORT HUACHUCA, AZ, US