Over the past twenty years, the United States has been involved in a range of conflicts, placing significant demands on the individuals who are deployed, often multiple times. These individuals have borne the brunt of civilian decisions regarding when, how and where to use force, as well as what the goals of these conflicts should be. The challenges of war are not often well communicated to civilian policymakers. This series seeks to engage with military personnel and gain a broader perspective of the challenges they face.
Lieutenant General Douglas A. “D.A.” Sims II recently completed a distinguished 34-year career in the United States Army, culminating as the Director of the Joint Staff. In that role, he advised the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and oversaw the integration of military operations, plans and policies across the Joint Force.
A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, LTG Sims commissioned as an infantry officer in 1991. Over more than three decades, he commanded at every level from platoon through division, leading paratroopers in the 82nd Airborne Division, Rangers in the 75th Ranger Regiment, the 2nd Cavalry Regiment in Iraq and Afghanistan and ultimately the 1st Infantry Division “the Big Red One” and Fort Riley. In both the 2nd Cavalry Regiment and later at Fort Riley, he placed special emphasis on building resiliency programs that strengthened soldiers, families, and civilian teammates, reinforcing readiness and building cohesion through wellness and connection, all designed to enhance the warfighting effectiveness of the collective team. Between operational assignments, LTG Sims served in pivotal staff roles, shaping readiness, mobilization and global operations at both U.S. Special Operations Command and the Pentagon.
Promoted through the general officer ranks beginning in 2017, following his time at the Big Red One, he became the Director for Operations (J-3) on the Joint Staff in 2022 before assuming duties as Director of the Joint Staff in 2024. While entrusted with the Nation’s most sensitive global military operations, he also left a lighter mark on Pentagon life—adding ESPN to the Pentagon television network and introducing Charlie, the J-3 Facility Dog, to the National Military Command Center where Charlie quickly became a fixture of morale and resilience.
LTG Sims is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, the Joint and Combined Warfighting School and completed a National Defense Fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Security Studies Program. He also holds a Master of Arts in Management from Webster University. He and his wife, Fay, have been married for nearly 34 years and together are the proud parents of their daughter, Madeleine, who works and resides in New York City.
This event is generously sponsored by the Institute for Public Leadership.