RALEIGH – Gov. Roy Cooper has named retired Lt. General Walter Gaskin to lead the N.C. Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
“After a career at the highest levels of the United States Marine Corps, Walter Gaskin understands well the challenges and opportunities faced by active duty military personnel, veterans and their families and he shares my belief that North Carolina should be the most veteran- and military-friendly state in the nation. I appreciate General Gaskin’s willingness to serve our state in this new capacity and look forward to his leadership at the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs,” said Gov. Cooper.
“It is my honor to serve the members of our military, veterans and their families in the state of North Carolina. Although I retired from active duty in 2013, my commitment to providing the opportunities, resources and care owed to our military members and veterans has never ceased. I look forward to working with Governor Cooper and his team as we continue this critical work,” said Gaskin.
Gaskin retired from active service in 2013 and since Sept. 2020, he has served on the NC Military Affairs Commission.
From 2010 through 2013, he served as the Deputy Chairman of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Military Committee in Brussels, Belgium, providing strategic military counsel on operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya to NATO’s Secretary General and North Atlantic Council.
He also served as the Commanding General of the 2d Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, NC from June 2006 until July 2008.
Gaskin was the CEO of La Porte Technology Defense (LAPORTECH).
A graduate of Savannah State University’s NROTC Scholarship Program with a Bachelor of Science, he earned a Summa Cum Laude Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma and completed the Senior Executive Seminar from the JFK School of Government at Harvard University. His military education includes the Amphibious Warfare School; Army Command and Staff College; Army War College; and the Combined/Joint Force Land Component Command Course.
