Dan Kelly McNeill
General, U.S. Army

Dan Kelly McNeill was born on 23 July 1946 in Warsaw, NC.

He served as Commander, Coalition Forces, Afghanistan, from 2002-03 and as Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) from 2004-07. He then served as Commander, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan from 1 February 2007 to 3 June 2008.

According to Eurasianet, McNeill opposed the local ceasefires and economic development programs that had been favored by the outgoing NATO commander, British General David Richards. The attempted targeting of Taliban commander Abdul Ghafour through aerial bombardment, on 4 February 2007, was seen as a sign of the policy changes McNeill wanted to introduce.

Officials in several European countries quietly expressed concern about placing an American general in charge of the NATO force. General Richards tried to create a less harsh, more economic-development-oriented identity for NATO in Afghanistan, as compared to the "kicking-down-doors" image that U.S. forces have. Many local analysts expect NATO forces to embrace a more aggressive stance under McNeill, who is believed to oppose the type of local peace arrangements that Richards promoted. They believe that the danger at this point is that an overly aggressive NATO force in Afghanistan could alienate Afghans, and thus cause the Taliban's support base to grow.

McNeill was featured in the Academy award-winning documentary Taxi to the Dark Side (2007).

General Dan Kelly McNeill retired from active Army service in 2008.

Medals, Awards and Badges

Defense Distinguished Service Medal
Army Distinguished Service Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit with 4 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
Bronze Star Medal with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
Meritorious Service Medal with 3 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
Army Commendation Medal with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
Army Achievement Medal
National Defense Service Medal with 2 Bronze Stars
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with Bronze Star
Vietnam Service Medal
Southwest Asia Service Medal with Bronze Star
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Korea Defense Service Medal
Army Service Ribbon
Army Overseas Service Ribbon with Award Numeral 2
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Army Superior Unit Award with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Expert Infantryman Badge
Master Parachutist Badge with 1 Combat Star