Brigadier General (CA) Jack Hagan was appointed the Commanding General of the California State Military Reserve January 7, 2006.
BG Hagan's military career began when he graduated from The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1971. He was commissioned a regular officer in the U. S. Marine Corps upon graduation.
After completing the Marine Corps Basic School, he was assigned to 3rd Marine Division in Okinawa and the Republic of Viet Nam, where he served as a Rifle Platoon Commander in 1st Battalion, 4th Marines and 1st Battalion, 9th Marines.
From 1973 to 1976, BG Hagan served as a Series Commander; Headquarters Company Commander in the Recruit Training Regiment; the Operations and Training Officer and Headquarters Company Commander in Woman Recruit Training Command; and, as the Aide de Camp to the Commanding General at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, SC.
After his tour in South Carolina, he was assigned to Hawaii, where he served on the Fleet Marine Force Pacific Staff as the Drug and Alcohol Abuse Abatement Officer. He was then assigned to 1st Marine Brigade as the Commanding Officer, Headquarters Company, 3rd Marines (Rein), and later as the Commanding Officer, Company L, Battalion Landing Team 3/3 in the North Arabian Sea during the Iranian Hostage Crisis. He next served as the Ground Training Device Officer, Headquarters Marine Corps.
In 1982-83 he was assigned as the Commanding Officer, Headquarters and Service Company,
III Marine Amphibious Force in Okinawa. He returned to Atlanta, GA to be the Commanding Officer, Atlanta Military Entrance Processing Station.
Next he was assigned as the Executive Officer, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines and the Operations Officer, 3rd Marines (Rein) in the 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade in Hawaii. Following, he was assigned to Chicago, IL as the Inspector- Instructor, 2nd Battalion, 24th Marines, 4th Marine Division during Desert Storm.
In 1991 he served as the Operations Officer, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) which deployed to Kuwait, and Somalia. In Somalia, he was reassigned to the Commander, Joint/Combined Task Force Restore Hope as the Naval Forces Liaison Officer. He returned to Camp Pendleton in 1993 to be the Officer in Charge, Special Operations Training Group which was responsible for special operations training of the deploying Marine Expeditionary Units. Following that duty, BG Hagan was assigned as the Inspector, 1st Force Service Support Group. BG Hagan retired from active duty in 1999.
Following retirement, he served as a Special Agent in the California Bureau of Investigation, California Department of Justice, with assignments on the Sexual Predator Apprehension Team; the Major Crime Team; and, as a Range Master. He has participated in high profile multi-agency investigations such as the Lacy Peterson homicide investigation.
BG Hagan was recalled to state active duty in 2003 as an Exercise Coordinator, Homeland Security, California Military Department. In October 2005 he was detailed to the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security as the Deputy Director, Training and Exercise Division. He manages the State’s Training and Exercise Programs for California’s 58 counties, nine major metropolitan areas, and 650,000 emergency responders to prepare them to deal with terrorist attacks involving weapons of mass destruction (WMD) or catastrophic natural disasters. He directs a multi-disciplinary/multi-agency staff of military and civilian subject matter experts in developing and producing the Governor’s annual state-wide exercise series “Golden Guardian.”
Along with his B.S. in Business Administration from The Citadel, BG Hagan holds a Masters of Arts in Psychology from Pepperdine University. He is a graduate of the Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School and Marine Corps Command and Staff College.
His personal decorations include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with one Gold Star, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with one Gold Star, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Navy Achievement Medal with one Gold Star, Army Achievement Medal, California Medal of Merit, Georgia Meritorious Service Medal, and numerous service and campaign medals. He also holds the Navy/Marine Corps Parachutist Insignia, Army Parachutist Badge, Combatant Diver Insignia, and SCUBA Diver Insignia.