WASHINGTON –
Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and the Senior Director for Defense Policy and Strategy on the National Security Council Staff, Earl G. Matthews, has been promoted to the rank of colonel, in the District of Columbia National Guard.
Matthews was promoted from lieutenant colonel, and recognized in a ceremony at the D.C. National Guard Armory before a crowd that included Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley, Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Stephen W. Wilson, former Ambassador to Germany Ribert Kimmitt, as well as D.C. National Guard officials, family and friends.
Matthews serves as the Staff Judge Advocate for the Joint Force Headquarters District of Columbia National Guard, where he provides legal advice and counsel to the Commanding General, regarding D.C. National Guard operations.
"Earl embodies the very best that this organization has to offer both as a leader and expert in his field,” said Maj. Gen. William J. Walker, Commanding General, District of Columbia National Guard. "We are lucky to have him and it is my distinct honor to promote him to the rank of colonel today.”
Matthews received a direct commission into the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s Corps in March 2000. He has provided multifaceted legal counsel and leadership during his career that includes assignments in support of Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. He earned a J.D. from the Harvard Law School in June 1998, an M.S. in strategic intelligence from the National Intelligence University in August 2005, an LL.M. in National Security Law from the Georgetown University Law Center in 2013 and an M.S. in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College in 2016.
In his civilian capacity, Matthews is a Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and the Senior Director for Defense Policy and Strategy on the National Security Council Staff. He previously served as Principal Deputy General Counsel of the Department of the Army, as a Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense and as an Assistant General Counsel of the Defense Intelligence Agency, among other positions.
Today’s D.C. National Guard, known as the "Capital Guardians” remains strong with more than 2,700 Soldiers and Airmen protecting the capital and defending the nation. The D.C. National Guard provides air sovereignty alert forces to defend the nation's Capital 24/7, 365 days a year while providing fighter aircraft, VIP airlift, and support forces, in addition to providing mission-ready Soldiers and Airmen for active duty in the armed services in the time of war or national emergency.