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Biography

Major General Salene is currently Performing the Duties of Deputy Commander, United States Central Command. He has served as a Marine for more than thirty years. MajGen Salene began active duty in 1991 and graduated flight school on the Commodore’s List with Distinction in 1994. He joined HMH-461 at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River and deployed twice with Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs), supporting operations in the Balkans and Africa. In 1998, he attended the Naval Postgraduate School as the Marine Corps' first study track sub- Saharan Africa Regional Affairs Officer. He planned and conducted African Theater Security Cooperation (TSC) activities for Marine Forces Europe beginning in 2000.
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Performing the Duties of Deputy Commander, Major General Sean M. Salene

Major General Salene is currently Performing the Duties of Deputy Commander, United States Central Command. He has served as a Marine for more than thirty years.

MajGen Salene began active duty in 1991 and graduated flight school on the Commodore’s List with Distinction in 1994. He joined HMH-461 at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River and deployed twice with Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs), supporting operations in the Balkans and Africa. In 1998, he attended the Naval Postgraduate School as the Marine Corps' first study track sub- Saharan Africa Regional Affairs Officer. He planned and conducted African Theater Security Cooperation (TSC) activities for Marine Forces Europe beginning in 2000.

He returned to HMH-461 in 2002 and deployed twice for Operation ENDURING FREEDOM in the Horn of Africa. In 2005, he attended Command and Staff College, graduating with honors. He attended the School of Advanced Warfighting and became a speechwriter for the Commandant of the Marine Corps. In 2008, he deployed for Operation IRAQI FREEDOM and led a cross-functional planning team for Multi-National Force Iraq. In Baghdad, he became a lay minister for an Anglican priest who also led an Iraqi congregation.

In 2009, he had the honor of rejoining HMH-461 as its Commanding Officer. He led his team on deployments to Ghana for Presidential support; to the Caribbean as the commander of a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) to support TSC and interagency counter illicit trafficking operations; and, with 96-hours’ notice, to Haiti for Operation UNIFIED RESPONSE in 2010. After relinquishing command, he deployed with II Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) FWD to Afghanistan for Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. He was the lead architect for the first long-range plan signed by U.S., British and Afghan civil and military leaders in Helmand and Nimroz provinces.

MajGen Salene attended the Marine Corps War College, graduating with honors in 2012. He presented his thesis work in Beijing. He later joined USCENTCOM and led a team to propose and develop, with Joint, interagency and international partners, Operation FREEDOM's SENTINEL for the post-2014 mission in Afghanistan.

He returned to MCAS New River to command MAG-29 in 2015. His team supported the 2d Marine Expeditionary Brigade, flew north of the Arctic Circle in Norway and led the command element for Marine Week Nashville. He left MAG-29 early to take command of the Special Purpose MAGTF Crisis Response Africa in 2017 and deploy on short notice. Based in Spain and Italy, his team conducted activities in Africa and instituted a new model to sustain MV-22 readiness and build capacity with NATO allies. Following deployment, he became the II MEF G-3.

In 2018, he was nominated to BGen and served as the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing Assistant Wing Commander in Okinawa. He led multi-national planning in COBRA GOLD 19, supported exercises in the Pacific, built relations with Japanese hosts and supported aviation readiness. He also led a cross-functional team to implement the “Total Fitness” concept to reduce Suicide Related Events.

In 2019, BGen Salene served as the Director of Communication for Headquarters, Marine Corps. He supported the Commandant in communicating Service priorities and Force Design, sought closer alignment in Naval messaging and supported the integration of information-related activities.

In 2020, he was selected as the Military Advisor to Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, the United States Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation (SRAR). He assisted SRAR to support the implementation of the Doha Agreement. In October 2021, MajGen Salene assumed duties as the Director, Strategy and Plans Division, Headquarters Marine Corps.

In June 2022, MajGen Salene returned to USCENTCOM as the Director of Strategy, Plans & Policy. He led bilateral and multi-lateral planning and engagements before and after 7 Oct 2023, through unprecedented state-on-state attacks in the region, and during campaigns and operations to achieve command objectives. He assumed his current position in July 2025.

MajGen Salene holds five master’s degrees. His hobbies are reading, exercising and spending time with his wife and children.