Chief Executive Officer

Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Michael Linnington was appointed by the USO Board of Governors as the 24th Chief Executive Officer, effective October 2025. From 2016 to 2024, Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Linnington served as Chief Executive Officer of the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), where he significantly expanded the organization’s programs and services honoring and empowering post-9/11 wounded veterans and their families. Under his leadership, WWP experienced a period of transformation and growth,strengthening its brand, deepening partnerships, and elevating its impact to tens of thousands of wounded veterans and their families.

Prior to WWP, he was appointed the first permanent Director of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, leading global efforts to recover and identify missing U.S. service members from past conflicts.

During his distinguished 35-year career in the U.S. Army, Lt. Gen. Linnington held numerous senior leadership roles. Before retiring in 2015, he served as Military Deputy to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness and as Commanding General of the Military District of Washington/Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region.

His other flag officer assignments included Deputy Commanding General at Fort Benning, Ga.; Commandant of Cadets at the United States Military Academy (USMA), West Point, N.Y.; and Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Policy (J5) for the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command (IJC) in Kabul, Afghanistan. He also commanded the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, during combat operations in both Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq).

A 1980 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Linnington holds a Master of Science in Applied Mathematics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Master of Science in National Security Strategy from the National War College.

He and his wife, Brenda (USMA ‘81), have two adult children, and three grandchildren.