Jay Garner

2025-09-29T23:41:24Z

2A06:5900:C09A:4800:4579:8D40:BD5:E5C6: per source

{{Short description|United States Army general and United States Marine}}
{{for|the actor|Jay Garner (actor)}}
{{BLP sources|date=February 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Jay Garner
| image = Portrait of U. S. Army Lt. Gen. Jay M. Garner.jpg
| caption = Garner in 1996
| office = [[Coalition Provisional Authority|Director of the Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance of Iraq]]
| president = [[George W. Bush]]
| term_start = April 21, 2003
| term_end = May 12, 2003
| predecessor = [[Saddam Hussein]] ([[President of Iraq]])
| successor = [[Paul Bremer]] (Administrator of [[Coalition Provisional Authority]])
| birth_name = Jay Montgomery Garner
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1938|4|15}}
| birth_place = [[Arcadia, Florida]], U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| education = {{ubl |[[Florida State University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]]) |[[Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania|Shippensburg University]] ([[Master of Public Administration|MPA]])}}
| branch = {{army|United States}}
| branch_label = Branch
| serviceyears = 1962–1997
| serviceyears_label = Service years
| rank = [[Lieutenant general (United States)|Lieutenant General]]
| commands = {{ubl |[[United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command]] |[[Joint Task Force Bravo]] |[[108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade (United States)|108th Brigade, 32nd Artillery]]}}
| battles = {{ubl |[[Vietnam War]] |[[Gulf War]]}}
| battles_label = Conflicts
| mawards = {{ubl |[[Army Distinguished Service Medal]] (2) |[[Defense Superior Service Medal]] (2) |[[Legion of Merit]] (5) |[[Bronze Star Medal|Bronze Star]]}}
}}
'''Jay Montgomery Garner''' (born April 15, 1938) is a retired [[United States Army]] [[Lieutenant general (United States)|lieutenant general]] who in 2003 was appointed as Director of the [[Coalition Provisional Authority|Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance]] for [[Iraq]] following the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]], making him the immediate replacement of [[Saddam Hussein]] as the ''de facto'' chief civilian administrator of Iraq.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 4, 2003 |title=Jay Garner: The US general waiting to replace Saddam |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/jay-garner-the-us-general-waiting-to-replace-saddam-113811.html |access-date=July 21, 2022 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref> Garner was soon replaced by Ambassador [[Paul Bremer]] and the ambassador's successor organization to [[ORHA]], the [[Coalition Provisional Authority]] (CPA).<ref>[http://www.observer.co.uk/business/story/0,6903,925309,00.html US arms trader to run Iraq] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030601122652/http://www.observer.co.uk/business/story/0,6903,925309,00.html |date=June 1, 2003 }} ''[[The Observer]]'', March 30, 2003.</ref>

==Early life and education==
Born in [[Arcadia, Florida]], Garner served an enlistment in the [[United States Marine Corps]] before attending the [[Florida State University]], where he received a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree in [[History]] in 1962. He also holds a master's in [[public administration]] from [[Shippensburg State University]].

==Military career==
Commissioned as an army [[second lieutenant]] in 1962, Garner served two tours in [[Vietnam War|Vietnam]], and later led two air defense units in [[Germany]]. He also served as deputy commanding general at [[Fort Bliss, Texas]]. Garner helped to develop the [[Patriot missile system]] and commanded [[Missile battery|missile batteries]] during the [[Gulf War]]. After the [[Gulf War|war]] he was put in charge of securing [[Kurd]]ish areas in northern [[Iraq]]. He was later named commander of the United States Army Space and Strategic Defense Command (working primarily on President [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]]'s [[Strategic Defense Initiative]] missile shield program), and concluded his army career as Assistant Vice Chief of Staff, retiring in 1997 at the rank of [[lieutenant general]].

After leaving the [[United States Army|army]], Garner became president of [https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/1054435D:US SYColeman], a defense contractor which designs missile communications and targeting systems used in the Patriot and [[Arrow (Israeli missile)|Arrow missile]] systems. The company was acquired by [[L3 Technologies|L3Harris]] where Garner remained for two years before retiring.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vanz |first=Dave |date=2023-11-02 |title=Jay Garner: Lieutenant General and Guardian of Freedom |url=https://theorlandolife.com/jay-garner/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=The Orlando Life |language=en-US}}</ref> Garner served on a presidential panel, chaired by [[Donald Rumsfeld]], which specializes in [[space]] and missile threats. He has also worked closely with the [[Israel Defense Forces]].{{update inline|date=February 2014}}

==Involvement in the Iraq War==
In 2003 Garner was selected to [[Civilian Administrator of Iraq|lead]] the [[Post-invasion Iraq, 2003–present|post-war reconstruction efforts in Iraq]], along with three deputies, including British [[Major-General (United Kingdom)|Major-General]] [[Tim Cross]]. Garner was regarded as a natural choice by the [[Presidency of George W. Bush|Bush administration]] given his earlier similar role in the north. General Garner was to develop and implement plans to assist the Iraqis in developing governance and reconstructing the country once [[Saddam Hussein]] was deposed.<ref name="Lawrence Davidson 2006">Arthur Goldschmidt Jr. and Lawrence Davidson, ''A Concise History of the Middle East'' (Westview Press, 2006), 432–438</ref>

Following the defeat of the Saddam Hussein regime in [[Baghdad]], there was widespread looting, rampaging, and general chaos throughout [[Iraq]]. Some of the most important [[monument]]s, such as the [[National museum of iraq|national museum]], were under attack.<ref name="Lawrence Davidson 2006"/> Furthermore, the [[infrastructure]] of the country was in ruins, ministries were broken into, and government records were destroyed. The situation in Iraq became chaotic and [[Anarchy|anarchic]].<ref name="Deborah Gerner 2008">Jillian Schwedler and Deborah Gerner, eds., ''Understanding the Contemporary: Middle East'' (Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc., 2008), 248–251</ref> The only ministry which was protected by the occupying forces was the [[Ministry of Oil (Iraq)|oil ministry]]. In addition, many exiled leaders from [[Iran]] and some from the [[Western world|West]] returned to [[Iraq]].<ref>Jack Covarrubias and Tom Lansford, eds., ''Strategic Interests in the Middle East: Opposition or Support for US Foreign Policy'' (Ashgate Publishing Company, 2007), 74–76</ref> The [[Presidency of George W. Bush|Bush administration]] selected [[Lieutenant general (United States)|Lieutenant General]] Jay Garner to lead the [[Coalition Provisional Authority]] (an intermediary government) in an attempt to rid [[Iraq]] of the chaos and anarchy that consumed the area. Garner's plan was to choose government officials from the former Iraqi regime to help lead the country.<ref name="Brian Bennett 2003">Brian Bennett, Joshua Kucera, Terry Mccarthy, Michael Weisskopf and Mark Thompson, "Sorting The Bad From The Not So Bad," ''Time'', May 19, 2003.</ref>

Garner began reconstruction efforts in March 2003 with plans aiming for Iraqis to hold [[election]]s within 90 days and for the [[United States|U.S.]] to quickly pull troops out of the cities to a desert base. [[Jalal Talabani]], a member of Jay Garner's staff in [[Kuwait]] before the war, was consulted on several occasions to help the U.S. select a liberal Iraqi government; this would be the first liberal government to exist in [[Iraq]]. In an interview with [[Time (magazine)|Time magazine]], Garner stated that "as in any [[Totalitarianism|totalitarian]] regime, there were many people who needed to join the [[Ba'ath Party (Iraqi-dominated faction)|Baath Party]] in order to get ahead in their careers. We don't have a problem with most of them. But we do have a problem with those who were part of the thug mechanism under Saddam. Once the U.S. identifies those in the second group, we will get rid of them."<ref name="Brian Bennett 2003"/> On April 15, 2003, General Garner called a conference in the city of [[Nasiriyah]], where Garner, along with 100 Iraqis, discussed the future of Iraq. Garner called a follow-up meeting on April 28, 2003.<ref name="Lawrence Davidson 2006"/> 250 Iraqis attended this meeting, and five of these Iraqis were selected by Garner's administration as the core leaders of the new Iraqi government: [[Masoud Barzani|Masood Barzani]] was appointed as head of the [[Kurdistan Democratic Party]], Talabani as head of the rival [[Patriotic Union of Kurdistan]], [[Abdul Aziz al-Hakim|Abdul Aziz Al Hakim]] was appointed as the leader of the Supreme Assembly for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, [[Ahmed Chalabi|Ahmad Chalabi]] was chosen to represent the [[Iraqi National Congress]] and [[Ayad Allawi|Iyad Allawi]] was appointed as the leader of the [[Iraqi National Accord]]. Garner's selection caused quite a stir amongst many Iraqis. Although many Iraqis were open to the change that Garner and the U.S. were bringing to Iraq, others were resentful. Iraqis with a [[Shia Islam|Shi'a]] background felt underrepresented in Garner's selection for government.<ref name="Iraq 2003">"Iraq: Entering a new epoch," ''Middle East'', June 2003.</ref> Three of the five officials appointed as key members in Iraq's new government were of [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] background, one official was from a mixed Sunni–Shi'a background, and only one of the officials was of pure Shi'a background. The Shi'a felt left out and underrepresented, considering they comprise over 60% of the Iraqi population.<ref name="Iraq 2003"/> Furthermore, many Iraqis felt this new government was not selected in a [[Democracy|democratic]] manner, as the [[U.S.]] had promised.

Once the leaders were selected, a plan to hold elections in Iraq, where members would be selected, began on May 6, 2003, and ended on November 14, 2003, when the plan was abandoned.<ref name="Deborah Gerner 2008"/> General Garner would be replaced by a new [[Ambassadors of the United States|American Ambassador]] to Iraq, [[Paul Bremer]], who took his role as head of the Coalition Provisional Authority. Following Garner's dismissal, it was planned that an Iraq government would take power in June 2004. [[Ayad Allawi|Iyad Allawi]] was designated to lead the Iraqi interim authority. Allawi was a former [[Baathist]] of [[Shia Islam|Shi'a]] origin. Allawi had many credentials, including previous work experience with the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]].<ref name="Lawrence Davidson 2006"/>

When Garner was replaced in his role by [[L. Paul Bremer|Paul Bremer]] on May 11, 2003, there was quite a bit of speculation as to why he was replaced so abruptly. It has been suggested that Garner was moved aside because he did not agree with the [[White House]] about who should decide how to reconstruct Iraq. He wanted early elections—90 days after the fall of [[Baghdad]]—and the new government to decide how to run the country and what to do with its assets. Garner said "I don't think [Iraqis] need to go by the [[U.S.]] plan, I think that what we need to do is set an Iraqi government that represents the freely elected will of the people. It's their country ... their oil."<ref>[[Greg Palast]], "[http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=15&ItemID=10399 Unreported: The Zarqawi Invitation] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060618005914/http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=15&ItemID=10399 |date=2006-06-18 }}", ''[[ZNet]]'', June 10, 2006</ref> Some experts faulted Garner for prioritizing elections over improving and [[privatizing]] the Iraqi economy.<ref>Dilip Hiro, The Nation, September 28, 2007, "How Bush's Iraqi Oil Grab Went Awry" https://www.thenation.com/article/how-bushs-iraqi-oil-grab-went-awry/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327184028/https://www.thenation.com/article/how-bushs-iraqi-oil-grab-went-awry/ |date=March 27, 2019 }}</ref>

Garner was interviewed in ''[[No End in Sight]]'', a 2007 [[documentary movie]] very critical of the handling of the [[Occupation of Iraq (2003–2011)|Iraq occupation]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/02/26/BU48310.DTL General reverses his role] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616034215/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=%2Fchronicle%2Farchive%2F2003%2F02%2F26%2FBU48310.DTL |date=June 16, 2012 }} ''San Francisco Chronicle'', February 26, 2003.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050811004839/http://www.sycoleman.com/about/ SYColeman company page]
*[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/yeariniraq/interviews/garner.html PBS Frontline]
*{{C-SPAN|26719}}
**[http://www.c-span.org/video/?195606-1/qa-jay-garner C-SPAN ''Q&A'' interview with Garner, December 10, 2006]

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Saddam Hussein]]|as=[[President of Iraq]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Coalition Provisional Authority|Director of the Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance of Iraq]]|years= 2003}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Paul Bremer]]|as=Administrator of the [[Coalition Provisional Authority|Coalition Provisional Authority of Iraq]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Presidents of Iraq}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garner, Jay}}
[[Category:1938 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of the Gulf War]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War]]
[[Category:United States military governors]]
[[Category:Coalition Provisional Authority]]
[[Category:Florida Republicans]]
[[Category:People from Arcadia, Florida]]
[[Category:People from Windermere, Florida]]
[[Category:United States Army generals]]
[[Category:United States Marines]]
[[Category:Florida State University alumni]]
[[Category:Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania alumni]]

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Jay Garner