Age, Biography, and Wiki
Stanley Allen McChrystal was born on August 14, 1954. He is a retired United States Army general, celebrated for his command of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) and his role as Commander, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and United States Forces – Afghanistan (USFOR-A). McChrystal's leadership and strategic skills have been widely recognized, and he is often described as a fearless and innovative military leader.
| Occupation | Memoirist |
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| Date of Birth | 14 August 1954 |
| Age | 70 Years |
| Birth Place | Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Leo |
| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
There is limited publicly available information regarding McChrystal's height, weight, or other physical measurements.
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Dating & Relationship Status
While detailed information about McChrystal's personal relationships is not extensively documented, he is known to be married to Annie McChrystal. The couple has been together for many years, and Annie has been supportive throughout his military career.
After the report was made public, the White House tapped McChrystal to head a new advisory board to support military families, an initiative led by First Lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, wife of the vice president. The selection of McChrystal was announced on 12 April, four days after the inspector general's report was finished.
McChrystal is the son of Major General Herbert J. McChrystal (1924–2013), and his wife, Mary Gardner Bright (1925–1971). His grandfather was US Army Colonel Herbert J. McChrystal Sr. (1895–1954). He is the fourth child in a family of five boys and one girl, all of whom would serve in the military or became military spouses. His older brother, Colonel Scott McChrystal, is a retired Army chaplain, and is the endorsing agent for the Assemblies of God. He is a distant relative of Corporal Charles Edward McChrystal (1922–1944), US Army Corporal and Purple Heart recipient, who died in France during World War II.
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Net Worth and Salary
As of 2025, Stanley McChrystal's net worth is estimated to be around $12 million, primarily accumulated through his military career and subsequent business ventures. However, other reports suggest a lower net worth of approximately $629 thousand based on his holdings in various companies. Another source indicates a net worth of about $258,575 as of April 2025. These discrepancies highlight the variability in estimating net worth based on different sources and criteria.
Career, Business, and Investments
McChrystal's military career was marked by significant achievements, including his successful command of JSOC from 2003 to 2008, during which his team was responsible for the killing of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. After retiring from the military, McChrystal has taught courses on international relations at Yale University as a Senior Fellow of the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs. He is also involved in business, serving as a director/board member at Far Peak Acquisition Corporation.
Born on the Fort Leavenworth U.S. Army base in Kansas, McChrystal graduated high school from St. John's College High School in Washington, D.C. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1976 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Army. His initial assignment was to Company C, 1st Battalion, 504th Infantry, 82nd Airborne Division, serving as weapons platoon leader from November 1976 to February 1978, as rifle platoon leader from February 1978 to July 1978, and as executive officer from July 1978 to November 1978.
In November 1978, McChrystal enrolled as a student in the Special Forces Officer Course at the Special Forces School at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Upon completing the course in April 1979, he remained at Fort Bragg as commander of Operational Detachment A-714 (an "A-team") in Company A, 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne). This was not the last time that '714' would be associated with McChrystal. In June 1980, he attended the Infantry Officer Advanced Course at the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia, until February 1981.
In February 1981, McChrystal moved to South Korea as intelligence and operations officer (S-2/S-3) for the United Nations Command Support Group—Joint Security Area. He reported to Fort Stewart, Georgia, in March 1982 to serve as training officer in the Directorate of Plans and Training, A Company, Headquarters Command. He moved to 3rd Battalion, 19th Infantry, 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized), in November 1982, where he commanded A Company before becoming battalion operations officer (S-3) in September 1984.
McChrystal moved to 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, as battalion liaison officer in September 1985, became commander of A Company in January 1986, served again as battalion liaison officer in May 1987, and finally became battalion operations officer (S-3) in April 1988, before reporting to the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, as a student in the Command and General Staff Course in June 1989. It was during this time that McChrystal also completed a Master of Science degree in international relations from Salve Regina University. After completing the course in June 1990, he was assigned as Army Special Operations action officer, J-3, Joint Special Operations Command until April 1993, in which capacity he deployed to Saudi Arabia for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
He commanded the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) for five years, serving first as Commanding General, Joint Special Operations Command, from September 2003 to February 2006, and then as Commander, Joint Special Operations Command/Commander, Joint Special Operations Command Forward, from February 2006 to August 2008. He took command of JSOC on 6 October 2003. This position he describes as commander of Task Force 714 in his autobiography, a force which has been identified as the JSOC high-value targets task force.
McChrystal was considered a candidate to succeed General Bryan D. Brown as commander of U.S. Special Operations Command in 2007, and to succeed General David Petraeus as commanding general of Multi-National Force – Iraq or Admiral William J. Fallon as commander of U.S. Central Command in 2008, all four-star positions. Instead, McChrystal was nominated by George W. Bush to succeed Lieutenant General Walter L. Sharp as director of the Joint Staff in February 2008, another three-star position.
McChrystal is chairman of the Board of Siemens Government Technologies, and is on the strategic advisory board of Knowledge International, a licensed arms dealer whose parent company is EAI, a business "very close" to the United Arab Emirates government. He co-founded and is a partner at McChrystal Group, an Alexandria, Virginia–based consulting firm. His philosophy of leadership and building stronger organizations is quoted in the bestselling book by Daniel Levitin The Organized Mind.
He established a consultancy firm, McChrystal Group, in 2011 which uses the slogan "Bringing Lessons from the Battlefield to Boardroom". It includes researchers, practitioners and former military officers.
In 2014, McChrystal endorsed Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democratic congressional hopeful, attempting to unseat Representative John F. Tierney in the Democratic primary. Having never before made an endorsement, McChrystal said he endorsed Moulton, a Marine veteran, because the United States Congress could benefit from a man of his character. In 2015, McChrystal's second book Team of Teams was released and aimed at business organizations and their leaders. With his co-authors, Tantum Collins, David Silverman and Chris Fussell, McChrystal describes how he and his staff remade the Joint Special Operations Task Force in the Middle East to fight a new kind of decentralized, tech-savvy enemy.
In the fall of 2014 McChrystal's townhouse in Alexandria, Virginia was the address Michael Flynn used to register his consulting and intelligence business, the Flynn Intel Group.
Social Network
McChrystal is not particularly active on mainstream social media platforms, which is consistent with his profile as a military leader transitioning into academia and business. His public presence is more focused on his professional roles and educational engagements.
Stanley Allen McChrystal (born 14 August 1954) is a retired United States Army general best known for his command of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) from 2003 to 2008 during which his organization was credited with the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. His final assignment was as Commander, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Commander, United States Forces – Afghanistan (USFOR-A). He previously served as Director, Joint Staff from August 2008 to June 2009. McChrystal received criticism for his alleged role in the cover-up of the Pat Tillman friendly fire incident. McChrystal was reportedly known for saying what other military leaders were thinking but were afraid to say; this was one of the reasons cited for his appointment to lead all forces in Afghanistan. He held the post from 15 June 2009 to 23 June 2010.
As head of what Newsweek termed "the most secretive force in the U.S. military", McChrystal maintained a very low profile until June 2006, when his forces were responsible for the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. After McChrystal's team successfully located Zarqawi and called in the airstrike that killed him, McChrystal accompanied his men to the bombed-out hut near Baqubah to personally identify the body.
According to Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward, beginning in late spring 2007 JSOC and CIA Special Activities Division teams launched a new series of highly effective covert operations that coincided with the Iraq War troop surge of 2007. They did this by killing or capturing many of the key al-Qaeda leaders in Iraq. In a CBS 60 Minutes interview, Woodward described a new special operations capability that allowed for this success, noting that it was developed by the joint teams of CIA and JSOC. Several senior U.S. officials stated that the "joint efforts of JSOC and CIA paramilitary units were the most significant contributor to the defeat of al-Qa'ida in Iraq." Journalist Peter Bergen also credits McChrystal with transforming and modernizing JSOC into a "force of unprecedented agility and lethality," playing a key factor in the success of JSOC efforts in subsequent years and in the success of the war in Iraq.
"I extend my sincerest apology for this profile. It was a mistake reflecting poor judgment and should never have happened. Throughout my career, I have lived by the principles of personal honor and professional integrity. What is reflected in this article falls far short of that standard. I have enormous respect and admiration for President Obama and his national security team, and for the civilian leaders and troops fighting this war and I remain committed to ensuring its successful outcome."
Biden's call to President Obama to tell him of the apology prompted Obama to request a copy of the profile and then to summon McChrystal to attend in person the president's monthly security team meeting at the White House in lieu of attending via secure video teleconference. During a meeting with Obama on 23 June, two days before the article was released to newsstands and only one day after it was released online, McChrystal tendered his resignation, which the president accepted. Shortly thereafter, President Obama nominated General David Petraeus to replace McChrystal in his role as top commander in Afghanistan.
The report from the inquiry states: "In some instances, we found no witness who acknowledged making or hearing the comments as reported. In other instances, we confirmed that the general substance of an incident at issue occurred, but not in the exact context described in the article." In response, Rolling Stone stated that "the report by the Pentagon's inspector general offers no credible source—or indeed, any named source—contradicting the facts as reported in our story."
McChrystal's memoir, My Share of the Task, published by Portfolio of the Penguin Group, was released on 7 January 2013. The autobiography had been scheduled to be released in November 2012, but was delayed due to security clearance approvals required from the Department of Defense. Portfolio publishers stated, "We have decided to delay the publication date of General McChrystal's book, My Share of the Task, as the book continues to undergo a security review by the Department of Defense ... General McChrystal has spent 22 months working closely with military officials to make sure he follows all the rules for writing about the armed forces, including special operations."
In May 2020, The Washington Post reported: "A new Democratic-aligned political action committee advised by retired Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal ... is planning to deploy technology ... to combat online efforts to promote President Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. The group, Defeat Disinfo, will ... map discussion of the president's claims on social media. It will seek to intervene ... through a network of more than 3.4 million influencers ... paying users with large followings to take sides against the president."
* "Technology once used to combat ISIS propaganda is enlisted by Democratic group to counter Trump's coronavirus messaging" story of McChrystal's "Defeat Disinfo" operation in The Washington Post
* "Technology once used to combat ISIS propaganda is enlisted by Democratic group to counter Trump's coronavirus messaging" story of McChrystal's "Defeat Disinfo" operation in The Washington Post
Education
Stanley McChrystal graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1976. He also holds a Master's degree in International Relations from the University of Virginia and was a National Security Fellow at Harvard University. His educational background reflects his interest in both military strategy and international relations, which have been central to his career.
His command of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan was assumed by the deputy commander, British Army General Sir Nicholas Parker, pending the confirmation of a replacement. Obama named General David Petraeus as McChrystal's replacement; Petraeus was confirmed by the Senate and officially assumed command on 30 June. Days after being relieved of his duties in Afghanistan, McChrystal announced his retirement. Since 2010, he has taught courses in international relations at Yale University as a Senior Fellow of the university's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs.
From April 1993 to November 1994, McChrystal commanded the 2nd Battalion, 504th Infantry, 82nd Airborne Division. He then commanded the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, from November 1994 to June 1996. During this time he initiated what would become a complete revamping of the existing Army hand-to-hand combat curricula. After a year as a senior service college fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, he moved up to command the entire 75th Ranger Regiment from June 1997 to August 1999, then spent another year as a military fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Hastings told Newsweek that he was quite clearly a reporter gathering material, and actually bemused at the degree to which soldiers freely spoke to him. A report by the Department of Defense inspector general finds "Not all of the events at issue occurred as reported in [Hastings's] article."
In 2010, after leaving the Army, McChrystal joined Yale University as a Jackson Institute for Global Affairs senior fellow. He teaches a course entitled "Leadership", a graduate-level seminar with some spots reserved for undergraduates. The course received 250 applications for 20 spots in 2011 and was taught for a third time in 2013.
In 2011, McChrystal advocated instituting a national service program in the United States. He stated, "'Service member' should not apply only to those in uniform, but to us all ... America is falling short in endeavors that occur far away from any battlefield: education, science, politics, the environment, and cultivating leadership, among others. Without a sustained focus on these foundations of our society, America's long-term security and prosperity are at risk."
