General Martin E. Dempsey, named one of the most influential leaders in the world by Time magazine (2015), recently retired after 41 years of military service. During his time in the Army, he commanded various military units including United States Central Command, where he was responsible for securing U.S. interests in the Middle East and South Asia. He served in both Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom, accumulating 42 months in combat. In the past five years he served as the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army and then as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff he was the senior officer in the armed forces and the principal military adviser to the president of the United States. General Dempsey is a 1974 graduate of West Point and has master's degrees from Duke University in literature, from the Army Command & General Staff College in military science, and from the National War College in national security strategy. He also holds an honorary doctorate degree in law from the University of Notre Dame. In 2016 he was appointed by Queen Elizabeth II as a Knight of the British Empire.