Brigadier General Mills has served as Director, Personnel Management Division, Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Headquarters U.S. Marine Corps since October 2006.
A native of Huntington, New York, Brigadier General Mills was commissioned in 1975 via Officer Candidate School. Following the Basic School, Lieutenant Mills reported to 1st Battalion, 5th Marines where he served as a Platoon Commander, Company Executive Officer, and the Battalion Adjutant. From 1978 to 1979 Lieutenant Mills served with the 3d Marine Division on Okinawa. Lieutenant Mills was assigned to the 2d Recruit Training Battalion, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina, from 1979 to 1982 where he served as a Series Commander. Upon promotion to Captain, he assumed duties as Commanding Officer, Company D. Next, Captain Mills was a student at the Amphibious Warfare School, and from 1983 to 1986, served with the 6th Marines as the Commanding Officer of Alpha Company and as the Regimental Assistant Operations Officer.
Promoted to Major in 1986, he was assigned to the Officer Assignment Branch, Headquarters Marine Corps from 1986 to 1989 and subsequently attended the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, Quantico, VA. Following a tour as Military Observer with the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization in Palestine, Major Mills reported to Marine Air Group 29, 2d Marine Aircraft Wing as the Air/Ground Liaison Officer.
Lieutenant Colonel Mills served as the Operations Officer, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) from 1993 until 1995. From 1995 to 1997 he was assigned as the Amphibious Exercise Officer on the staff of the Commander Sixth Fleet in Gaeta, Italy. Lieutenant Colonel Mills returned to the 2d Marine Division in 1997 where he assumed command of 3d Battalion, 6th Marines and subsequently Battalion Landing Team 3/6, 24th MEU (SOC).
Colonel Mills’ studied at the Royal College of Defense Studies, London, England in 1999 and then returned to II Marine Expeditionary Force as the Officer In Charge of the Special Operations Training Group before commanding the 24th MEU (SOC) from August 2000 until June 2003. While under command of Colonel Mills, the 24th MEU (SOC) participated in Operations JOINT GUARDIAN in Kosovo, Enduring Freedom, and combat operations ashore during IRAQI FREEDOM as part of Task Force Tarawa.
In June of 2003 Colonel Mills reported to Headquarters, United States European Command in Stuttgart, Germany for duty as the Assistant Chief of Staff. Upon selection to Brigadier General in May of 2004, Brigadier General Mills assumed duties as the Deputy Director of Operations at EUCOM where he served until his current assignment.
