]President Donald Trump nominated Marine Lt. Gen. James Adams III to serve as the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the Pentagon announced Tuesday.
Trump sent Adams’ nomination to Congress last week. The Department of Defense (DOD) – rebranded as the War Department by the Trump Administration – released details of his nomination Tuesday as part of a broader announcement of general officer assignments.
Adams currently serves as the Marine Corps’ deputy commandant for programs and resources, a role that oversees the service’s financial requirements. In that position, he led the Marine Corps through two clean financial audits, the first and only time a U.S. military branch has achieved that milestone.
Notably, his official military biography does not list a background in intelligence.
If confirmed, Adams would oversee a workforce of about 16,500 people responsible for providing intelligence support across the DOD.
The Pentagon also announced other senior Marine Corps nominations tied to intelligence and information roles.
Marine Lt. Gen. Melvin “Jerry” Carter, who has experience in cyber and intelligence, has been nominated to serve as the military affairs adviser to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Carter is currently serving as the Marine Corps’ deputy commandant for information.
In addition, Marine Maj. Gen. Joseph A. Matos III has been tapped for promotion to lieutenant general and would assume the role of deputy commandant for information if confirmed. Matos currently commands Marine Forces Cyberspace Command, Marine Forces Space Command, Joint Force Headquarters-Cyber, and Marine Corps Information Command at Fort Meade, Maryland.