May 28, 1998. He was reassigned as the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-4 II MEF. In 1999, he deployed to Panama as the Chief of Staff, Joint Task Force Panama to oversee the final turnover of the Canal and the remaining military bases. His first tour as a general officer was at Headquarters Marine Corps, where he served as the Assistant Deputy Commandant for Installations and Logistics. He took command of 2nd Force Service Support Group (FSSG) in July 2001 and in January 2002, he deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba as Commander, Joint Task Force 160. JTF 160's mission was to construct and operate the detention facilities for Taliban and Al Qaeda detainees. While in command of the detention facility, he endeavoured to ensure that the provisions of the Geneva Convention were applied, in the face of opposition from then defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld, inviting the ICRC to visit and advise on conditions of detention, appointing a Muslim chaplain and creating an ethos of human decency. In 2003, he deployed with the 2d FSSG to the CENTCOM theater and participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom as Commander, Marine Logistics Command. He then served as Chief of Staff, United States Southern Command, Miami, Florida. Lehnert's final Marine Corps assignment was as Commanding General, Marine Corps Installations West (MCI West), based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, where he had assumed command on October 21, 2005. Under Lehnert’s command, MCI West made vast developments to base infrastructure, Marine and family housing, training facilities and numerous other quality-of-life improvements for all installations in the western U.S. Lehnert retired after 37 years of service after turning over command of MCI West to Maj. Gen. Anthony L. Jackson on September 29, 2009. Civilian Life In 2020, Mike Lehnert joined other retired senior leaders like Retired Lt. Gen. Richard L. Kelly to speak out against the abuses of Donald Trump through Lehnert's affiliation with National Security Leaders for Biden. Awards Decorations include: Notes References Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Marine Corps generals United States Marine Corps personnel of the Iraq War Central Michigan University alumni Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Recipients of the Humanitarian Service Medal