Jay Montgomery Garner was born April 15, 1938, in Arcadia, Florida, Garner served an enlistment in the United States Marine Corps before attending the Florida State University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History in 1962. He also holds a master's in public administration from Shippensburg State University.
He is a retired United States Army lieutenant general who, in 2003, was appointed as Director of the Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance for Iraq following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, making him the immediate replacement of Saddam Hussein as the de facto head of state of Iraq. Garner was soon replaced by Ambassador Paul Bremer.
Commissioned as an army second lieutenant in 1962, Garner served two tours in Vietnam, and later led two air defense units in Germany. He also served as deputy commanding general at Fort Bliss, Texas. Garner helped to develop the Patriot missile system and commanded missile batteries during the Gulf War.
After leaving the army, Garner became president of SYColeman, a defense contractor which designs missile communications and targeting systems used in the Patriot and Arrow missile systems. Garner served on a presidential panel, chaired by Donald Rumsfeld, which specializes in space and missile threats. He has also worked closely with the Israel Defense Forces
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