Defending America in the Pacific: The U.S. Military in Competition, Crisis, and Conflict

Ted Banta is a retired Lieutenant General in the U.S. Marine Corps living in Northern Virginia. He received a Master’s Degree in Strategic Resource Management from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, a Master of Science Degree in Systems Management from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and Geology from Colgate University.

Over a 38 year career, Ted served in myriad assignments around the world, deployed for combat operations in Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and commanded large organizations responsible for logistics and facilities/infrastructure supporting global operations. His staff assignments included supporting senior leadership in the U.S. Marine Corps, Department of Defense, and deployed NATO forces in Afghanistan, and serving as the Military Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy. In his final assignment Ted served as the Chief Facilities/Infrastructure and Logistics Officer for the Marine Corps, overseeing 25 Marine Corps installations worldwide and enterprise-wide logistics equipment and services for more than 200,000 military personnel.

As a General Officer Ted also commanded Marine Corps Installations Command, served as the Combined Joint Logistics Officer for NATO’s Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, as the Commanding General for Marine Corps Installations West, and as the Commanding General of 2d Marine Logistics Group leading over 9,000 Marines and Sailors responsible for Marine Corps logistics in Europe and the Middle East.

Ted spent nearly one-third of his career focused on the Indo-Pacific region, to include seven years living in Okinawa, Japan and operating across the Western Pacific. His last assignments were heavily focused on modernizing the Service’s installations and logistics, posturing and equipping the Marine Corps for great power competition and global crisis response with a focus on the Indo-Pacific. Ted currently advises various firms in the national security, technology, and commercial real estate industries.